Patents and Trademarks: Patent and Trademark Searching

The system provides a more robust method for searching before submitting a patent application. Search fields include application/issued patent number; inventor/assignee name; examiners' names; and classification code(s).
Users must select Basic Search if working on a smartphone or tablet.

"A Step by Step Strategy". Voice-narrated, slide-based patent searching tutorial from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Pages 13-25.

Step-by-step guide for preliminary U.S. patent searching (contains screenshots from retired systems, PatFT and AppFT.)

From Harvard University.

Short guide from the University of Minnesota on the basics of patents.

Guides on Basic search, Workspace layouts, Managing search results and more.

Prepared by the University of Michigan (6 mins.)

Open Access article (2018)

An introduction to the fundamental mechanics of using the USPTO's trademark search system, including searching using drop-down menus. Includes handout.

Tips on basic and advanced searching.

Outlines a search procedure for searching trademarks (developed by Patent and Trademark Resource Center staff).

Provides a searchable listing of acceptable identifications of goods or services.

Provides a way to search the trademark database for designs appearing in trademarks.

Site with trademark information from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.