Patent Searching
Patent searching varies in complexity, based on your particular
needs. If you are searching for a "known" patent,
for example, you have a patent number already, or you are
looking for something your grandfather invented, or you
want a list of everything Ocean Spray has ever invented,
you can do this relatively easy on the USPTO web site. If,
however, you are an inventor, looking to see if anyone has
claims to a similar patent, you can expect hours of searching.
REMEMBER:
All patents ever issued are in the USPTO web database.
However, only patents issued from 1976- now are available
in full text. The only way to
search online for patents issued before 1976 is either
by patent number, or by Classification Code.
To see the full patent image rather than just the text, you must have a TIFF viewer
installed on your computer. The USPTO lists several free products on its web site and links to the web sites where you can download the software.
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