How to Look Up a Patent Number

When an invention or idea is patented, it is given number that differentiates it from any similar items and allows a comprehensive list of patents to be kept. The United States Patent and Trademark Office website offers a way to search for an item using the patent number along with a way to search for a patent by name and get the number.

Instructions

1. Access the database on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website (see Resources). This searchable database contains information on all patents that have been filed in the United States since 1976. Patent information is public domain and can be accessed by searching this database.

2. Click "Number Search" on the left side of the main page. This will allow you to search the official patent database by entering a patent number.

3. Enter the number of the patent into the search box and click "Search." If a patented idea has been given that number, a listing with additional information will appear on a new page. You will be told the name of the item, who patented it and when it was patented.

References

• United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patent Full-Text Databases

Resources

• United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patent Full-Text Databases
• Mid West Tool Collectors Association: Patents