- Brainstorm terms describing your invention
- Think of synonyms or alternative words
- Car = auto, automobile, vehicle
- Think of synonyms or alternative words
- Conduct a keyword search
- Start broad and then narrow
- Review the front pages of patents and published patent applications
- Guidance on how to search is available in our Quick Reference Guides.
- Conduct an in-depth review of the found completed patents and published patent applications
- Review those that are similar, including drawings, specification and claims for similarities to your invention.
- Expand the search by finding the relevant CPC classification(s)
- Find a relevant classification and use it in a classification search in Patent Public Search’s Advanced Search with the CPC.field code.
- Go to the Classification Resources page and select the CPC classification system.
- Review cited references
- Review cited references from the front page of a completed patents
- Review the U.S. patents and published patent applications that a patent has cited and/or the patents that have cited them since their publication
- Patent Public Search can provide a search of both the backward and forward citations.
- Broaden your search with foreign patents, non-patent literature and/or a patent professional’s search
- Check the European Patent Office's Espacenet
- Also search books, journals, websites, technical catalogs, and conference proceedings in the applicable field.
- You may want to hire a registered patent attorney or patent agent to review the search.
Searching for Patents
Multi-Step U.S. Patent Search Strategy (adapted from the USPTO)
U.S. Patent Search Tutorial
Copyright Librarian
Data and Social Sciences Librarian
Chad Kahl
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