Patent Law Research Guide

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. Scroll down the page for search guides and training materials, including a list of searchable indexes, operators, tips for efficient searching, Quick Reference Guides, FAQs, and Search Tutorials.

Google Patents includes over 120 million patent publications from 100+ patent offices around the world, as well as technical documents and books indexed in Google Scholar and Google Books, and documents from the Prior Art Archive. See About Google Patents for information on using this search tool.

Coverage begins with 1790 for patents and March 2001 for applications. KeyCite history begins with 1853.

Includes more than 130 million patents from over 100 granting authorities, with features like Redline Claims, Citations & Similar, Figures and Drawings, Litigation History, and Patent Family information. For the U.S., coverage includes applications from 2001 to present and granted patents from 1920 to present. For more detailed coverage information, refer to the spreadsheet linked below.

Search 125.0 million patent documents including 5.3 million published international patent applications (PCT).

The European Patent Office’s worldwide patent publication database of over 140 million patent publications.

Outlines a suggested procedure for patent searching.

Slideshow tutorial with audio.

Slideshow tutorial.