Google Patents includes over 87 million patent publications from 17 patent offices around the world, as well as many more technical documents and books indexed in Google Scholar and Google Books.
Browse and/or search the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme by keyword or class.
Patent Searching Strategies
Common types of searches for patents include:
Subject - using keywords used in the patent title or abstract. Once you identify patents using the keywords, examine them to determine the degree of similarity and to determine the patent classifications that best fit with your potential patent. Then conduct a search by those classifications.
Classification - identifies the patent groupings within which similar patents are likely to be found. Classification searching does not rely on knowing the terminology the inventor used to describe the patent.
Assignee - the organization or individual who holds the property rights for the invention.
Number - most often used if you are aware of a patent to identify related patents that should be investigated further. Seach for either patent number or patent application number.
Inventor - useful if you know someone who has patented something similar to what you intend to patent.
