Selected Resources for: Patents

Subject Librarian: Jon Jeffryes
E-Mail: jeffryes@umn.edu
Subject Description:Searching for patents can be tricky. Simple keyword searches often do not work in patent databases--you need to carefully think through your search strategy, trying different combinations of keywords and synonyms for your topic. The following websites are recommended sources for U.S., Canadian, and International patents. Be sure to consult each website's help menu or guides to be sure you are searching the interface correctly.

General Reference Sources

General Reference Works

Introduction To Patents (A tutorial)
An short introduction to patents and patentability created by the UMN Science and Engineering Library.
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Guides

General Information Concerning Patents (USPTO)

Includes answers to frequently asked questions regarding patents, trademarks, servicemarks, and copyright.

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Nolo's patents for beginners [electronic resource]

An e-book through NetLibrary that gives an introductory overview of all aspects of patenting.

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Internet Resources

Search Engines

Google Patents Search

Find U.S Patents and Patent Applications using keywords, back to the first patent issued. You cannot search really recent patents (those issued within the last couple of months). All patents available as pdfs.

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Web Sites

CIPO - Canadian Patents Database

Access over 75 years of patent descriptions and images. You can search, retrieve and study more than 1,400,000 patent documents.

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Esp@cenet

Search for international patents.

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United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Use this site to search for U.S. issued patents and published patent applications. It gets updated weekly.

Direct link to Patent Search page.
Direct link to Index to U.S. Patent Classification.
Direct link to Patent Classification Homepage.

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Library Information

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