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The USPTO website can be word-searched using the FirstGov search engine. Use the Search button in the toolbar above to conduct a text search of informational pages on the USPTO website. You can restrict your search to some selected portions of the site by choosing a folder of related webpages from the dropdown menu on the site search page. Patents, Trademarks and information about large groupings of very similar items are not contained on web pages but are accessed through online database systems that are linked to from our web pages and cannot be searched using FirstGov. In order to search each database you must connect and follow its specific directions. Below are connections to our search and status systems as well as links to material on our site that can be useful in crafting and conducting search queries. We have also included links to some popularly-requested non-USPTO databases. |
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Our website provides full text for patents issued from 1976 to the present. We provide TIFF images for all patents from 1790 (YES, REALLY 1790) to the present. You can search on text in all elements (fields) of the patent or select those fields you wish to search only for patents issued since 1976. You can only search on patent numbers and/or classification codes for the pre-1976 patents. To view the images for any patent you must (1) download a TIFF image plug in (viewer) and(2) run the downloaded executable file to install a TIFF image plug in that supports G4 compression; (3) when you get a text search result based for a patent number, locate the image button near the top of the screen to launch the viewer. The system will download the images one page at a time. More extensive Instructions for obtaining and using a free plugin from different vendors are contained on "How to Access Full Page Images." The biggest problem people have when installing a viewer is that they forget to close the browser application and run the viewer program's executable file after downloading it in order to actually install the viewer plug-in. If you have run the file and still have problems, try restarting your PC. For experienced users, you may lose or change the MIME-type file association for TIFF images when performing a system upgrade or installing new software. If that happens you may need to reinstall your chosen viewer. |
Have a suggestion for more material for this customer profile? E-mail suggestions to the webmaster@uspto.gov. While we cannot promise to accommodate all requests, your suggestions will be considered and may lead to other improvements to the web site.
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