How to Find Out If a Patent Exists
Patents are issued by the United States government as an exchange of limited protection from invention duplication for information disclosure. Patent databases are maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Patent applicants are encouraged to check the patent databases before applying to ensure their ideas have not been previously patented.
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Instructions
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Search
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1
Go to the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent and Full-Text and Full-Page Image Databases website.
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2
Under the left-hand section in blue, "PATFT: Issued Patents," click "Quick Search."
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3
Enter search information in "Term 1" box.
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4
Choose the applicable search term from the "Field 1" drop-down menu.
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5
To add another search criteria, enter the appropriate information in the "Term 2" and "Field 2" boxes.
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6
Click "Search."
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1
Tips & Warnings
Selecting "Advanced Search" in Step 1 can be used to search for three or more terms at once.
