Resource Type: Full-Text Patent Database

Access Range: Publicly accessible online resource (Not purchased by the library)

Access Address: Online Access

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) online patent search database consists of two main sections:

1. Authorized U.S. Patent Specifications:

Scanning images of all authorized U.S. patent specifications published since 1790

Full-text coding available for specifications from 1976 onward

2. Published U.S. Patent Applications:

Scanning images of all published (unauthorized) U.S. patent applications since March 15, 2001

Update Frequency:

Database updated weekly (every Tuesday)

Special Note for 1790-1975 Patents:

Patents from this period can only be searched by patent number and U.S. patent classification number