Patents: U. S. Patent & Trademark Office

Search the USTPO databases:

• PatFT - search for granted patents

• AppFT - search for patent applications

• Patent searching video tutorial (36 minutes)
   

• General Information Concerning Patents - Good overview of patenting basics
   
• Frequently Asked Questions About Patents (FAQ)
   
• Inventor and Entrepreneur Resources
  This section of the USPTO website is dedicated to independent inventors, small business operators, and university-affiliated inventors. It's maintained by the Office of Innovation Development, which offers a Pro Se Assistance Program for those filing patent applications without the assistance of a patent attorney.
   
• Patent Classification
  In 2013, the USPTO moved from its own Patent Classification system to the Cooperative Patent Classification system (CPC). The CPC was developed jointly with the European Patent Office, and is now followed by over forty countries in Europe.
  • The USPTO's Classification search tool, which allows you to search the CPC or the old USPTO classification system, is linked here.
  • The CPC's new search tool, Espacenet, is inlked here.
     
• USPTO Kind Codes
  The combination of letters and numbers at the end of a granted patent or patent application is called a kind code. Kind codes tell you what sort of patent document you're reading: a patent application, a grated application, the country of origin of the patent application or granted patent, and the sort of item patented: a plant patent, design patent, and so forth. The link will take you to a list of kind codes used by the USPTO. 
   
• USTPO Current Fee Schedule - What does it cost to get a patent?