Prior Art Search Tools
The collection has hundreds of free resources for conducting prior art searches, including search tutorials, patent and literature databases, classification resources, and more.
Analytics
- Enriched Citations - Open Data Portal - USPTO
- Guidelines for Preparing Patent Landscape Reports - WIPO (2015)
- IPscore (EPO)
- IPVision
- Open Analytics - Open Data Portal
- Patent Analysis, Mapping, and Visualization Tools - PIUG
- Patent Analytics Hub | IP Australia
- PatentsView - Relationships
- PatentsView - Comparisons
- See-the-Forest | Patent Analytics by IPVision
- WIPO Manual on Open Source Tools for Patent Analytics
- Guidelines for Preparing Patent Landscape Reports - WIPO (2015)
Blogs
Bulk Data
- Bulk Data Products | USPTO
- EPO - INPADOC
- Google Patents Public Datasets
- Patent Examination Data System - USPTO
- PatentsView Data Download
- USPTO - Open Data Portal
- USPTO Bulk Data Storage System (BDSS) Version 1.1.0
- USPTO Datasets | USPTO
- EPO - INPADOC
Citations
- Chapter 11 Patent Citations | The WIPO Patent Analytics Handbook
- Do Applicant Patent Citations Matter? (2013)
- In-Text Patent Citations - A User’s Guide (2019)
- Lens PatCite
- Lens.org Citation Collection
- patent "citation tree" - Google Search
- Patent Citation Data in Social Science Research: Overview and Best Practices (2017)
- Do Applicant Patent Citations Matter? (2013)
Classification Resources
- Class browser - Espacenet
- CPC Concordances
- CPC Scheme and Definitions
- CPC Training
- IPC Classification - WIPO
- IPC Guide - WIPO (2020)
- IPC Publication Search - WIPO
- Patent Classification | USPTO
- Search Classes - USPTO
- CPC Concordances
Deep Web Searching
Defensive Publication
EPO
- Espacenet Discussion forums
- Espacenet pocket guide
- Patent attorneys
- Patent Register
- Prior art searching
- Publication Server
- Searching - EPO - Discussion forums
- Statistical mapping: IPC to CPC
- Table 1 | A Survey on Services Provision and Distribution of Official and Commercial Intellectual Property Platforms
- Espacenet pocket guide
Foreign Patent Office Searches
- Canadian Patents Database
- China SIPO_ENGLISH_PATENT_SEARCH
- IP Australia: AusPat Quick Search
- Japan Patent/Utility Model Number Search/OPD｜J-PlatPat [JPP]
- China SIPO_ENGLISH_PATENT_SEARCH
Free Patent Search Engines
- Create a PatentsView Query
- Cross Lingual Expansion - WIPO
- DEPATISnet
- Espacenet – patent search
- Free Patents Online
- Google Patents Advanced Search
- IP Australia: AusPat Quick Search
- Lens
- Octimine: Patent search software
- Patentfield | Open AI Patent Search, Analytics and investigating database for Japan/US
- PatentGuru
- PatentGuru Similar Patent Documents Search
- Patent Inspiration
- PatentScope Advanced Search
- PatentScope Structured Search
- Patexia
- PQAI ( AI project for combinational prior art)
- SumoBrain
- US Patent Full-Text Database
- US Published Application Full-Text Database Manual Search
- WIPO INSPIRE (comparison of patent databases)
- Cross Lingual Expansion - WIPO
Glossaries and Thesauruses
- More than 8300 specialized Glossaries, Lexicons, Dictionaries and Terminologies
- NASA Thesaurus
- Technical ENGLISH dictionaries and glossaries
- NASA Thesaurus
Inventor Scam Prevention
Libraries
- Featured | Collections | HathiTrust Digital Library
- HathiTrust Digital Library | Millions of books online
- Library of Congress
- Library of Congress Electronic Resources Online Catalog
- Open Library
- Search Library of Congress and Hundreds of other Libraries
- Smithsonian Libraries
- HathiTrust Digital Library | Millions of books online
Literature Databases
- ACL Anthology - ACL Anthology
- ACM Digital Library
- Advanced search [WorldCat.org]
- arXiv.org e-Print archive
- Citation Indexing Textbook
- CiteSeerX — Advanced Search
- CSDL Search | IEEE Computer Society
- dblp: computer science bibliography
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
- eBooks and Texts at the Internet Archive - 20 Million Books
- EBSCO | Free Academic Databases
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Free eBooks | Project Gutenberg
- Genamics JournalSeek
- Google Books
- Google Scholar
- HP Labs Technical Reports
- IBM Redbooks
- IEEE Xplore
- Ingenta Connect
- Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
- JSTOR Home
- Microsoft Academic
- New Scholar Search at Lens.org
- Prior Art Database - IP.com
- PubMed
- Science.gov
- ScienceDirect
- Scitation
- Search | Europeana
- Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool
- Services Update
- SpringerLink
- Textwise Technical Disclosures - Prior Art Database
- The Free Library
- The Online Books Page: Archives and Indexes
- Unpaywall: An open database of 20 million free scholarly articles
- WorldCat.org: The World's Largest Library Catalog
- WorldWideScience
- ACM Digital Library
Litigation
- Opinions & Orders | US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Patent Litigation Intelligence | RPX Insight
Miscellaneous
- HowStuffWorks - Learn How Everything Works!
- IP Handbook Executive Guide
- IP Handbook Volume 1
- IP Handbook Volume 2
- List of online databases - Wikiwand
- IP Handbook Executive Guide
Networking
Patent Family Search
- Common Citation Document (CCD) - fiveipoffices.org
- Common Citation Document (CCD) Handbook
- Family-izer Multi
- Family-izer Solo
- Patent Family Search - WholeIP
- Patent Family Search at DEPATISnet
- Common Citation Document (CCD) Handbook
Patent Subject Guides
- Full List of Paid and Free Patent Databases from PIUG
- Patent Searching
- U.S. Patents - Univ of Maine Fogler Library
- Patent Searching
Prosecution Histories
- Global Dossier - USPTO
- Indian Patent Information Retrieval System
- Japan Patent Office
- Korea K-PION - Online File Inspection System
- Patent Center - USPTO (to replace PAIR)
- Techniques for Accessing Databases: the IPDL (includes PAJs) & AIPN
- UK Ipsum Online Patent Info and Doc Inspection Service
- US Public PAIR (deprecated)
- Indian Patent Information Retrieval System
Search Papers
- 6.5-Step U.S. Patent Search Strategy Guide
- A Day in the Life of an Examiner: Searching
- A hybrid keyword and patent class methodology for selecting relevant sets of patents for a technological field (2013)
- AI-assisted patent prior art searching - feasibility study (2020)
- Analysis of the patent documentation coverage of the CPC in comparison with the IPC with a focus on Asian documentation (2018)
- Automating the search for a patent's prior art with a full text similarity search (2019)
- Challenges in Patent Information Retrieval (2021)
- Construction and evaluation of gold standards for patent classification—A case study on quantum computing (2020)
- Effective Query Generation and Postprocessing Strategies for Prior Art Patent Search (2012)
- Efficient searching with situation specific and adaptive search strategies - Training material for patent searchers (2018) | Elsevier
- Espacenet, Patentscope and Depatisnet: a comparison approach (2015)
- Exploratory Professional Search through Semantic Post-Analysis of Search Results (2014)
- How to apply examiner search strategies in Espacenet. A case study (2018) | Elsevier Enhanced Reader
- How to interpret EPO search reports (2018) | Elsevier Enhanced Reader
- Identifying Patent Precedents for Engineering Design: An Iterative Heuristic Method of Mining Text, Citation and Inventor Information (2017)
- Inside the mind of an EPO examiner (2018) | Elsevier Enhanced Reader
- Invalidation Search on a patent in the semiconductors space - DolceraWiki
- Learning keyword phrases from query logs of USPTO patent examiners for automatic query scope limitation in patent searching (2015)
- Leveraging the BERT algorithm for Patents with TensorFlow and BigQuery
- Mining Patent Precedents for Data-Driven Design - The Case of Spherical Rolling Robots (2017)
- Mining Query Logs to Enhance Patent Searching (Dissertation, 2017)
- Non-patent literature search at the European Patent Office (2018) | Elsevier
- On the Role of Classification in Patent Invalidity Searches (2009)
- Patent Databases: 11 Best Free and Paid Search Platforms - GreyB
- Patent Retrieval: A Literature Review (2019)
- Patent Search Strategies and Techniques Using Espacenet (2017)
- Patent Search using IPC Classification Vectors (2011)
- Patent Searching Using Free Search Tools (2017) - ipo.org
- PatNet - A Lexical Database for the Patent Domain (2015)
- Plumbing the Depths of Examiner Search (il)-Logic - A Patent Searching Perspective (2011)
- Prior Art Searches in Software Patents -- Issues Faced (2018)
- Search strategies at the European Patent Office (2020) | Elsevier
- Searching at Google Patents (2019)
- Simple vs. Sophisticated Approaches for Patent Prior Art Search (2011)
- Study and comparison of the unique selling propositions (USPs) of free-to-use multinational patent search systems (2018)
- The Lone Inventor - Low Success Rates and Common Errors Associated with Pro-Se Patent Applications (2012)
- The Novelty ‘Sweet Spot’ of Invention (2017)
- The state of art patent search with an example of human vaccines (2011)
- The state-of-the-art on Intellectual Property Analytics (IPA): A literature review on artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning methods for analysing intellectual property (IP) data (2018)
- Using citation tracking for systematic literature searching - study protocol for a scoping review of methodological studies and an expert survey (2021)
- Using Classification Code Hierarchies for Patent Prior Art Searches (2011)
- Using query logs of USPTO patent examiners for automatic query expansion in patent searching (2014)
- What's So Special About Patent Invalidity Searching? (2012)
- Do you know English? The challenge of the English language for patent searchers (2014)
- A Day in the Life of an Examiner: Searching
Searcher Periodicals
- Information Today, Inc.
- ONLINE SEARCHER: Information Discovery, Technology, Strategies
- World Patent Information | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
- ONLINE SEARCHER: Information Discovery, Technology, Strategies
Software Repositories
- Apache Software Foundation
- Comprehensive Perl Archive Network
- Freecode
- Linux Kernel Archives
- Savannah
- SourceForge
- Comprehensive Perl Archive Network
Statutes and Regulations
Supplier Discovery and Product Sourcing
- GlobalTrade.net | The Directory for International Trade Services
- Thomasnet® - Product Sourcing and Supplier Discovery Platform - Find North American Manufacturers, Suppliers and Industrial Companies
Text Mining
Translators
User Groups and Associations
- AIPLA
- Intellectual Property Forum - Index
- Licensing Executives Society
- National Assoc of Patent Practitioners
- PatForum: the Front Page for Patent and IP Professionals
- PIUG - Patent Information Users Group, Inc. - Home
- QPIP - Qualified Patent Information Professionals
- Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP)
- Intellectual Property Forum - Index
USPTO
- Inventor and entrepreneur resources | USPTO
- MPEP 904-How to Search
- MPEP June 2020 [R-10.2019]
- Patent Assignment Search
- Patent official gazettes | USPTO - Open Data Portal
- Prior Art Search | USPTO
- PTAB Decisions
- Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC)
- Search for patents | USPTO
- MPEP 904-How to Search
WIPO
- Basics of Patent Searching - WIPO Patent Drafting Course
- Guide to the IPC (2020)
- INID Codes - WIPO
- Official Notices (PCT Gazette) Collection
- Patent Families Presentation
- WIPO Academy
- WIPO Academy Portfolio of Education, Training and Skills Development Programs 2021
- WIPO Guide to Using Patent Information (2015)
- WIPO Hague Express (Designs)
- WIPO Manual on Open Source Patent Analytics
- WIPO Patent Analytics · GitHub
- WIPO Resources
- Guide to the IPC (2020)
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