U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
The
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) maintains a web-based database
that includes information about all U.S. patents from the first patent
issued in 1790 to the most recent issue week.
The full text of patents from January 1976 to the present is fully searchable in the USPTO database. The display of each patent's full text includes a hyperlink to obtain full-page images of each page of the patent.
For patents issued from 1790 to December 1975, only the patent number and the current U.S. patent classification are searchable via the USPTO database. Each patent retrieved in this manner, however, features a link to full-page images of each page in the patent.
| This state of affairs highlights the need to search by classification numbers. See advanced searching techniques. |
The
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website can be very busy, particularly
during regular business hours. During these hours, you might even
receive a message that states that the maximum number of users has been reached. A good search tip to keep in mind is that if possible, try searching the USPTO website during off-hours.
Delphion Intellectual Property Network
Formerly, the IBM Patent website.
Delphion is a web-based patent service. It offers an interface for searching U.S. patents, in addition to a number of fee-based services.
Delphion is an example of a patent search service that uses value-added activities to carve out a niche in the patent searching market.
Interesting sidelights on this site include a Gallery of Obscure Patents and a Gallery of Historic Patents.
Fee-based, online commercial database service providing access to several outstanding patent databases, including Derwent World Patents Index. See advanced patent searching for details.
Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program
A
Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) is a library designated
by the USPTO to receive and house copies of U.S. patents and patent and
trademark materials, to make them freely available to the public, and
to actively disseminate patent and trademark information.
Each PTDL is provided the following material by the USPTO:
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Each PDTL provides the following services to the public:
- A toll-free telephone line to the PTDL Program Office. "Accessing Patent and Trademark Information". These are public and staff training seminars conducted on location by USPTO employees. Equipment and Software for accessing patent and trademark databases, and other electronic resources, produced by the USPTO. Official USPTO manuals, handbooks, search tools, forms and unpublished materials. These materials are intended to provide state of the art service to patent clientele.
- Miscellaneous materials provided by the European Patent Office, the Japanese Patent Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and other commercial and non-profit publishers of intellectual property information.
There are two full PTDLs in the state of Wisconsin: