Patents & Trademarks

Before filing an application for patent, you need to conduct a preliminary patent prior search to make sure your invention/innovation is novel and non-obvious. You can start your patent search using the following free online patent databases:

• USPTO's Patent Public Search (for U.S. patents and published applications)
• EPO's Espacenet (for worldwide patent publications)
• WIPO's Global Design Database (for worldwide industrial design patents/applications)
• LENS (for worldwide patent publications and non-patent literature)
• Google Patents (for initial search of worldwide patent publications)
• Free Patents Online (FPO) (for U.S. and  limited foreign patent search)
• Patent Classification search (to find CPC schemes and definitions)

Need guidance on patent search? Check out these patent search tutorials or guides to get your started.

• How to conduct a preliminary U.S. patent search: A step-by-step strategy
• Using Patent Public Search Advanced to Search Designs
• Patent Public Search Micro Tutorials 

• Patent Public Search Quick Reference Guides 

• Introduction to Espacenet 

• Espacenet Pocket Guide