The following databases contain the full-text of patents issued, patent applications, and related information.
- USPTO Patent Searching
Search the full-text of patents issued since 1976 and images of patents from 1790, patent applications published since March 2001, and patent assignments since August 1980.
- Google Patents
Google Patents contains information on patents and applications from the USPTO. Viewing images of patents is easier in Google Patents than it is in on the USPTO site, which requires a special plug-in.
- Westlaw (Patents issued (1976 - ), patent applications (March 2001), and patent assignments (1980 - ))
- Bloomberg (Patent Search and Patent Assignment Search, 1976 to present)
For more information on how to conduct a patent search, see Patent Searching: Tools & Techniques (David Hunt et al. eds., 2007) (T201 .P38).