Online Patent Resources

NOTE: if you know the patent number, visit either one of these URLS for a speedy .pdf version of the full-text:

• http://www.pat2pdf.org
• http://sughrue.patentfetcher.com

USPTO Patent Database Full Text, Full-Page Images
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provides the searchable full text and full-page images of US patents issued from 1976 to the present. Patents issued from 1790 to 1975 are available only as full-page images and can only be searched by patent number or current US patent classification. The database also contains patent applications filed since March 15, 2001.

European and World Patents (esp@cenet) Full Text, Full-Page Images
The European Patent Office provides worldwide coverage with over 38 million patent documents from 71 countries in their database. Searchable bibliographic data extend back as far as 1920 for select countries including France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. Facsimiles in pdf format are available for over 30 countries, including Germany from 1877, Great Britain from 1920, and the United States from 1836.

Patent Fetcher Full-Page Images
The Patent Fetcher website offers free access to all U.S. utility, design, and plant patents as well as select European patents. Unlike other sites, complete patents can be downloaded as a single pdf file. Patents are searchable only by number.

Canadian Patents Database Full Text, Full-Page Images
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office offers access to over 1,400,000 Canadian patents. Abstracts and claims are searchable back to 1978, while other fields, such as titles and names, are searchable back to 1920. Facsimiles in pdf format extend from 1920 to the present.

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe Full Text, Limited to Duke Users
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe provides access to US utility patents from 1790 to the present, with selective coverage from 1790 to 1974, and to US plant and design patents from 1977 to the present. The database offers the searchable full-text of the patents; however, no drawings are provided. To access the database from the Academic Universe homepage, click on Legal Research located on the left of the screen and then scroll down to click on Patents.