Keyword and Boolean USPTO Quick Search

The USPTO Quick Search provides you with an opportunity to search the patent database with up to two (2) term searches only.

Although it is essentially a guided means of using the database, it offers some very powerful features (examples are from the USPTO website):

Boolean Operators

• A comprehensive explanation of Boolean logic and Boolean Operators as they relate to database searching is beyond the scope of this tutorial. For an excellent overview of these topics, please visit A Primer In Boolean Logic.

   

  Essentially, the Boolean Operators
  • AND OR
  • ANDNOT
  enable a searcher to achieve much greater precision or much greater recall in search results by specifying relationships between search terms.

   

  The USPTO Quick Search features a pull-down menu whereby any one of the Boolean operators may be invoked.

   

  The AND operator specifies that both terms must exist in all patents retrieved. Use of this operator should narrow the number of results.
  • Example: hypodermic and needle retrieves 7,372 patents

   

  The OR operator specifies that either the first or the second term must exist in all patents retrieved. Use of this operator should expand the number of results.
  • Example: hypodermic or needle retrieves 90,067 patents

   

• The ANDNOT operator specifies that the first term must be present, but not the second term, in all patents retrieved. Use of this operator should narrow the number of results.
  • Example: hypodermic ANDNOT needle retrieves 2,326 patents

Field Searching

• The USPTO Quick Search provides you with the opportunity to search specific fields in patents.

   

  Recalling that each patent features a standard format, it is sometimes advantageous to focus a search on a specific field in a patent, such as the title or abstract.

   

• The Quick Search option offers an easy-to-use pull-down menu for specifying fields.

Phrase Searching

• The USPTO Quick Search option supports so-called exact match searching.

   

• Enclose a group of words in quotation marks so that the words will be treated as a single search term.
  • Example: vacuum AND cleaner retrieves 12,483 patents, but "vacuum cleaner" retrieves 4,422 patents

Date Range Searching

• The USPTO Quick Search option supports a search of date ranges.

   

  Date range searching can only be employed in conjunction with the Issue Date or the Application Date fields.

   

• A date range is indicated by means of the -> operator.
  • Example:Term 1: 11/1/1997 -> 5/12/1998 Field 1: Issue Date

Right Truncation

• In the USPTO's Quick Search, the use of the wildcard

  $

  on the right side of a search term is permissible. The use of the wildcard is intended to retrieve words that begin with a certain string of characters.

  • Example: tele$ retrieves patents containing words such as television, telephone, and telecommunications.

In fact, successful searching in virtually any bibliographic database requires the ability to generate a large number of search terms.