If you already have one or more specific patent numbers, here are a couple of basic options for obtaining the full text and/or images for the patent.

Google Patents:

  • This option provides the most convenient access.
  • You can easily browse the full text online and download the complete full text as one PDF file.

USPTO Patents database:

This option can be more cumbersome but may be desirable if you are already using the database to search for patents and wish to remain on the UPSTO site. This option is cumbersome in that you may need to download and install a TIFF viewer to display the images, and can only print one page at a time.

  1. Select the Quick Search option for issued patents.
  2. Type in the Patent Number and change the Field 1 index to Patent Number.
  3. Change the Select Years box if you need to search pre-1976 patents.
  4. Click the Search button.

If the patent is from 1976 or later (and for some pre-1976 patents), you will see the full text. Otherwise, click on the "Images" button to see the scanned image of the patent. (You can also view the images of the full-text patents.)

If you don't see the image when you click on the button, you probably need to obtain a TIFF viewer.