Guides: How to Find a Patent: Home

General Patent Search Resources

United States Patent And Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks.
USPTO: Search for Patents
Conduct a Patent Search and information on how to search
Google Patents
Google Patents searches over 7 million patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as well as patent applications submitted to the office. Advanced Search allows searching of the individual parts of the patent, such as the patent number, inventor and assignee. The best patent searches include the USPTO classification code(s)
European Patent Office
The official website of the European Patent Office (EPO). Find information on applying and searching for patents, legal issues on patents, patent grants, and rules.
Patent Lens
A user-friendly interface for searching patents from Europe, America, Australia, and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). Emphasis on newer materials.

Chemistry Patent Search Resources

Patents from 1976 forward are easiest to find because they are full text searchable. Patents prior to 1976 can be searched only by patent number and/or classification codes. Deciphering the classification codes for pre-1976 patents for pharmaceutical requires knowledge of chemistry and is best left to an expert patent searchers.

CAS SciFinder-n
CAS SciFinder-n covers the chemical literature and includes information about chemical entities and reactions. CAS SciFinder-n may be searched in a variety of ways, including by keywords and by chemical structures. We recommend using Google Chrome to search CAS SciFinder-n. An individual account is required to use CAS SciFinder-n. To set up your account, send us a message through Ask a Librarian. CAS SciFinder-n may be used only for academic research.
SciFinder --no longer available
SciFinder has been replaced by CAS SciFinder-n (see its link and information above). Your SciFinder log-in will work for CAS SciFinder-n. If you need help, contact us using Ask a Librarian.

SciFinder Training Videos: Patent Searching

How to Find a Patent: Home

General Patent Search Resources

Chemistry Patent Search Resources

Additional Information on Patent Searching