In case you are intending to do a patent search for the jurisdiction of United States then United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website is the one that comes at the top of our mind. This website offers many databases that a patent search professional can use to gain valuable insights about patents in their chosen domain.

This article is an attempt to underline all those resources and databases that we can use to do relevant patent search.

Below are some of the important resources those we can use in the website to do a comprehensive and full patent search.

Resources available in the United States Patent and Trademark Office

USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT): Widely known as PatFT, this is one of the most important databases that are available to patent search professionals to see the full text of a patent. This database houses full text for patents issued from 1976 to the present and PDF images for all patents from 1790 to the present.

USPTO Patent Application Full-Text and Image Database (AppFT) – With this database we can search for Full-Text and Image versions of patent applications. Searches are limited to patent numbers and/or classification codes for Full-Page images.

Global Patent Search Network (GPSN): This database is offered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to help users search the full text of multiple international patent collections. Users can search published applications, granted patents and utility models from1985 to 2012. The data available includes full text Chinese patents, English machine translations and full document images.

Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR): This is one of those databases that are being used by patent professionals widely. The Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system provides IP customers a safe, simple, and secure way to retrieve and download information regarding patent application status.

Public Search Facility: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Public Search Facility located in Alexandria, VA provides the public access to patent and trademark information in a variety of formats including on-line, microfilm, and print. Trained staff are available to assist public users.

Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs): Your nearest Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) maintains local search resources and may offer training in patent search techniques.

Patent Official Gazette: The Electronic Official Gazette allows users to browse through the issued patents for the current week. The Official Gazette can be browsed by classification or type of patent, for example, utility, design, and plant.

Common Citation Document (CCD): The Common Citation Document (CCD) application aims to provide single point access to up-to-date citation data relating to the patent applications of the IP5 Offices.

It consolidates the prior art cited by all participating offices for the family members of a patent application, thus enabling the search results for the same invention produced by several offices to be visualized on a single page.

The creation of the CCD application is part of an ongoing process of technical harmonization at international level aimed at establishing an appropriate infrastructure to facilitate greater integration of the global patent system.

Search International Patent Offices: To see if your idea has been patented abroad, you’ll want to refer to searchable databases made available from other International Intellectual Property offices. Free online access to patent collections is provided by many countries. Some available databases include:

• European Patent Office (EPO) provides esp@cenet
• Japan Patent Office (link is external) (JPO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
•  Germany
•  Great Britain
•  India
•  Israel
•  Netherlands
•  Norway
•  Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan

Search Published Sequences: The Publication Site for Issued and Published Sequences (PSIPS) web site provides Sequence Listings, tables, and other mega items for granted US patents or published US patent applications.

All sequences (SEQ ID NOs.) and tables for listed patents or publications are available for viewing, without downloading, by accessing the proper document detail page and then submitting a SEQ ID NO or a mega table ID number.

Patent Assignment Search: This site enables patent search professionals to search for patent assignments and changes in ownership.

All we can say is that patent search is a structured activity that requires complete knowledge of patent regulatory norms and resources where those data can be found. With this article we believe patent search professionals will be benefitted.