Free Patent Search Sites: US Patents and Applications

Posted on May 10, 2011 by jmornini

[tweetmeme source=”Intellogist” only_single=false]

Patent searchers have a lot of options when they choose which  search tools to use for searching US patents: subscription databases, search systems by official patent authorities like the USPTO, and even free search systems by individuals or commercial producers.  The Intellogist Blog often discusses two of the major free commercially-produced patent search systems, FreePatentsOnline and Google Patents.  When using a free patent search system, best bets are usually the search systems offered by official patent authorities (like the USPTO databases or espacenet) or one of the previously mentioned major free search systems.  However, searchers tend to overlook smaller (free) commercially produced search sites that may also include some useful features.

Read on as we review some of the free sites that allow users to search for US patent documents.  We discuss the special features, the pros, and the cons of these free patent search tools, after the jump!


Patent Genius

Browse by category on Patent Genius.


  • What is it?: Patent Genius is a free search system used to locate US patents issued after 1976.  Users can browse the site through five categories: Inventor, Patent Holder, Patent Number, Date, or Categories (Use/Industry, based on US Patent Classification System).  A Google Custom Search tool bar at the top of the page also allows users to search by keyword through all pages on the site.
  • Notable Features:  Patent Genius contains a category list on the homepage, organized hierarchically and alphabetically, that resembles a book index and is based on the US Patent Classification (USPC).   If a user chooses a subtopic from this list, they can view the Class number for this topic and patents classified by this number.  Users can view the patent images, bibliographic information, and full text of descriptions and claims through the website.  Users can also read additional free guides on the patent application process through Patent Genius.
  • Pros:  Positive aspects of this site include hierarchical index of categories, browsable lists of inventors and assignees, and free resource guides.
  • Cons: This site lacks multi-field search forms, PDF downloads, or the option for RSS/email alerts.  This site also lacks coverage of US published patent applications.  Finally, Google Ads are present on both search results and full records on the site.

PatentStorm

The advanced search form on PatentStorm.


  • What is it?:According to its FAQ section,  PatentStorm is a database of “full-text U.S. patents and patent applications from the U.S. Patent Office,” and the “database contains issued patents (including utility, design and plant patents) back to 1976, and yet-to-be approved patent applications back to 2005.”  Users can browse the site by Subjects (based on USPC), Inventor, Examiner, or Date, or they can use quick or advanced search forms to enter queries.  Searchers can use the site as unregistered users, but they must register in order to download PDFs or purchase enhanced PDFs (“AccuPatent Image”).
  • Notable Features: PatentStorm records include bibliographic information on the document, full text of the claims and descriptions, and the option for registered users to download a basic PDF of the original document or purchase enhanced PDFs.  Instead of simply listing US classification codes for each document, the records list “Field(s) of Search,” which are descriptions of the classification codes assigned to the document.  Users can select these descriptions to view other documents categorized under the same code.   Finally,  Patent Storm also allows users to sign up for RSS feeds on the “most recent patents and applications” for certain patent classes.
  • Pros:  The site has many positive features, like coverage of US applications, browsable lists of inventors, examiners, and dates, both quick search and multi-field advanced search forms, the ability to download or purchase PDFs, RSS notifications for updates in certain classes, and descriptions of the classification codes assigned to the documents through “Field of Search” sections.
  • Cons: The site doesn’t include a browsable list of assignees, and Google Ads are very prevalent on most pages of this site, especially the full record views.

Patents.com

The search form on Patents.com.

  • What is it?: Patents.com is a patent-based online community that allows users to view directories of patent professionals and search for US patent documents.  Users must register in order to download PDFs, view their recent searches and PDF downloads, and create email alerts for keyword searches.
  • Notable Features:  Patents.com allows users to view the full text of the bibliographic information, claims, and a description of the patent document.  Registered users can also download PDFs of the original documents, view their previous PDF downloads, view their most recent search queries, and sign up for weekly email alerts on keyword searches for patents.  Patents.com also provides a directory of patent attorneys and patent providers (attorneys, inventors, or assignees), a lengthy FAQ section on the patent system, and provisional patent application filing services (fee based).
  • Pros: Positive aspects of this site include coverage of published US applications, free downloads of original documents, viewable history of search results and PDF downloads, email alerts for keyword searches, and many additional resources, like directories and an informational section.
  • Cons: This site has a very basic search form, and the search results are listed in an unorganized and unsortable fashion beneath the form.  No browsable lists of inventors, assignees, examiners, dates, or categories are available.  This site, like the other sites, also includes Google Ads. 

How Useful Are They?

When it comes to patent search systems, you really get what you pay for.   Most subscription databases have many more value-added features, analysis tools, and broader coverage than free patent search systems.  The best free patent search systems include those created by official patent authorities or widely-known commercial systems like FreePatentsOnline and Google Patents.  The patent search sites described above offer some interesting features, like free PDF downloads, email or RSS alerts, and additional resource guides, but these search tools should only be used as supplemental sources for professional prior art searchers.  Casual searchers may enjoy browsing these sites to find quick information on the latest US patents, but experienced searchers will be irritated by the basic or non-existent  search forms, prevalent Google ads, and poor coverage.

Are you aware of any useful free search systems for US or international patent documents?  Let us know in the comments!

Technical Translations from Landon IP

This post was contributed by Joelle Mornini. The Intellogist blog is provided for free by Intellogist’s parent company Landon IP, a major provider of patent searches, trademark searches, technical translations, and information retrieval services.

Filed under: Patent Search Systems, Search Tips and Tricks | Tagged: , , , , , |

« »

12 Responses

  1. Barry Eagar, on May 10, 2011 at 2:33 pm said:

    Thanks for the useful post. I often search in the mechanical arts and would really appreciate a search service that offered indexed access to the USPTO pre-1976 patents. It really is time-consuming to search by classification only through those records. Any ideas?

    Reply
  2. jmornini, on May 10, 2011 at 2:55 pm said:

    According to Landon IP librarian Kristin Whitman: “Google Patents is the only free service for this (to my knowledge). The text in Google Patents is OCR’ed and full of errors, however, so the service can still miss references. A for-pay service like Thomson Innovation, Orbit or TotalPatent may be worth the extra money in exchange for peace of mind. One other note – be careful NOT to search using classifications in Google Patents: the US class codes are both poorly indexed, and not kept up-to-date.”

    Here is an Intellogist report on using Google Patents: http://www.intellogist.com/wiki/Report:Google_Patent_Search/System_Data

    Reply
  3. Barry Eagar, on May 10, 2011 at 3:06 pm said:

    Thanks for that. I will have a look at those. Do either have a “pay as you go” option? I don’t have a subscription at this stage.

    Reply
  4. jmornini, on May 10, 2011 at 3:28 pm said:

    Thomas Innovation: According to the Intellogist report, it just has yearly subscriptions (http://www.intellogist.com/wiki/Report:Thomson_Innovation/System_Data).

    Orbit: It looks like you can pay by the hour for Questel database connections. Look at the USPAT price listings here: http://www.questel.com/customersupport/userdoc/docpdf/pricelistUSD_2011.pdf.
    Here is more Questel pricing information: http://www.questel.com/becomeauser.htm

    TotalPatent: According to out Intellogist report, there is a pay-per-use option (http://www.intellogist.com/wiki/Report:TotalPatent/System_Data).

    Reply
  5. Barry Eagar, on May 10, 2011 at 3:29 pm said:

    Thanks for that. Much appreciated

    Reply
  6. Kristin Whitman, on May 11, 2011 at 2:51 pm said:

    HI Barry,

    Right now the Orbit product only has a yearly subscription option – however, other Questel products are set up for pay-as-you-go options. In your specific case I wouldn’t hesitate to contact Questel if you are interested in their product, and they’ll walk you through the various subscription options. Based on what I know, the Orbit tool has the nicest web-based interface by far, but is flat fee subscription based; the pay-as-you-go options may require you to use command language, which could get a little trickier.

    Reply
  7. Free Patent Alert Services: US Patents and Applications « The Intellogist Blog, on May 12, 2011 at 1:46 pm said:

    […] a previous post, we discussed free patent search sites that allowed users to browse and view the full text of US […]

    Reply
  8. Mike Wejrowski, on May 16, 2011 at 11:16 am said:

    Hi Barry,

    Please check out Patent Tools, the free patent search tool provided by Patent Calls. You can search for USPTO patents/applications directly from the home page, http://www.patentcalls.com. It also features a nice web-based user interface and provides you with dual research panes to view side-by-side information.

    In late May, Patent Calls will release Patent Tools PREMIUM, which will include more advanced research tools as a subscription service (approximately $360/year prepaid or you can do the monthly service at $34.95/month). The premium features were previously proprietary and will include patent quality scores(QScore), Related Art Timeline with semantic similarity results, and the ability to create/share portfolios of patents/applications.

    When Patent Tools PREMIUM becomes available, the web site interface will change and you will have the opportunity to try it free for 30 days.

    Videos are available on YouTube:

    Overview of Research Console:

    Overview of Patent Tools PREMIUM:

    Reply
  9. Top 10 Features of The German Patent Office’s DEPATISnet: Part 1 « The Intellogist Blog, on May 17, 2011 at 11:39 am said:

    […] has many more useful features than your average free patent search system.  According to Stephen Adams in Information Sources in Patents, 2nd edition (see left sidebar), […]

    Reply
  10. Patexia Visualization of US Patent Data: A Free Online Tool « The Intellogist Blog, on May 31, 2011 at 3:05 pm said:

    […] looked at free patent search tools and alert services, but are any free online tools available for analyzing the patent data?  Many […]

    Reply
  11. hitalipatel, on January 4, 2012 at 3:51 am said:

    tx fore the useful post

    Reply

Leave a comment