• USPTO. The official U.S. patent database enables searches for issued patents and patent applications. Features of the site include both a quick and full patent search. Full-page images are also available.
  
  
  
• Google Patents. All of the patents that are searchable from this site come from the USPTO site. PDF files of the patents can be downloaded.
  
  
  
• PriorSmart. Users fill in specific criteria on a form, and the site conducts a search via selected sites. Searches can also be performed on a country’s site.
  
  
  
• European Patent Office. Patents can be found via searches by keywords, numbers, or classifications. Results are available in English, German, and French.
  
  
  
• PatentScope. The World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) site enables a search of nearly 1,700,000 international patent applications. It also provides access to legal information and databases, and a glossary. WIPO is a United Nations agency.
  
  
  
• Patent Tools. Information from the Web site allows users to search through nine different patent tools.

Source: Coats and Bennett PLLC

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