LibGuides: Patents: Home

Databases

There are many sources for patent information online. The following are recommended databases for searching patents at Brown. They all have global coverage, unique advance search functionality, and allow you to view and download published patent documents.

Google Patents Advanced Search
Advanced search page where you can specify patent number; applicant; title or abstract; US, international, or cooperative classification codes; dates; and many other fields.
TotalPatentOne via Nexis Uni
Brown users have access to TotalPatent via NexisUni. Full database features are not available but TotalPatent can assist with research involving patent litigation.

Espacenet: Europe's Network of Patent Databases This link opens in a new window
Provides access to worldwide patent documents and information, 1836-present. Coverage varies by country.
1836-present; Espacenet offers free access to more than 90 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments. [This resource is publicly available.]
PatentScout This link opens in a new window
PatentScout access is provided by the Brown Technology Innovations office. Contact tech-innovations@brown.edu for troubleshooting.
Find highly relevant patents quickly and accurately. PatentScout is an easy to use and private search tool that helps you discover relevant patents, organizations and technologies using semantic search or advanced keyword syntax. University-wide access to this resource is provided by the office of Industry Engagement and Commercial Venturing and requires email registration.
SciFinder-N This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Search for patents by chemical structure. Each user must register, see more info for details.
Use of this resource is limited to current faculty, administrative staff, and registered students and their use is limited to academic research, teaching, and publication purposes only. Any commercial use is strictly prohibited.

Lens.org
A search and data visualization tool for exploring patent information. Lens.org search capabilities offer advanced boolean functions, structured search, biological search, classification search, and good filtering and sorting options.

Analysis & Landscape Tools

Patent landscape reports (also known as state of the art reports or patent analysis reports) provide a snapshot of the patent or other intellectual property outlook for a given technology, industry, country, or company.

A link to published PLR reports from WIPO can be found below along with links to public tools have been developed to help researchers explore, visualize and analyze complex patent data.

Patent Landscape Reports from WIPO
Patent landscape reports (PLRs) provide a snapshot of the patent situation of a specific technology, either within a given country or region, or globally.
Lens.org
A search and data visualization tool for exploring patent information. Lens.org search capabilities offer advanced boolean functions, structured search, biological search, classification search, and good filtering and sorting options.
PatentsView
PatentsView is visualization, data dissemination, and analysis platform that focuses on intellectual property (IP) data. This tool was developed at U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO).

Search Tip: Patent Classes and Technologies

Patent classification is a system for organizing all patent documents and other technical documents into specific technology groupings based on common subject matter. Using the classification system to search for patents and technology can help save you time, and keep results highly relevant.

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
On January 1, 2013, the USPTO moved from using the United States Patent Classification (USPC) system to the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system, a jointly developed system with the European Patent Office (EPO). CPC has now been adopted by many countries throughout the world.
International Patent Classification (IPC)
The International Patent Classification (IPC), established by the Strasbourg Agreement 1971, provides for a hierarchical system of language independent symbols for the classification of patents and utility models according to the different areas of technology to which they pertain. A new version of the IPC enters into force each year on January 1.

Drug Patents

Orange Book Data Files
The Orange Book contains information about patent exclusivity. You can search by active ingredient, proprietary name, applicant, or application number.