Patents : Getting Started

Free access to over 90 million patents worldwide from the 19th century to today. Uses International Patent Classification (IPC) and Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). Espacenet links to the patent classification of over 90 countries including United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Japan Patent Office (JPO), Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of China.

Google Patents covers the entire collection of granted patents and published patent applications from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO). US patent documents date back to 1790, EPO to 1978. Google Patents uses the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC).