Search and retrieve patents and published applications using the USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database, PubWEST, or CASSIS DVD-ROM search engines.

Sample Search

USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database:
A subject classification search will retrieve a list of patents from 1790 to the present.  All patents listed will be available in an tiff image format that requires special software for viewing. The text (no drawings) of patents from 1976 to the present can be viewed without a tiff viewer.

NOTE: Keyword searching will not normally retrieve pre-1976 patents.

Published applications from March 2001 forward can be searched and retrieved directly from the USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database.

Once you've retrieved the list of patents or published applications you are ready to review the documents (Step 6).