Us Government Patent Office Search

Fraud By Remote Working Employees

In 2012, the USPTO initiated an internal investigation into allegations of fraud by employees taking advantage of its remote work policies. Investigators discovered that some patent examiners had lied about the hours they had worked, but high level officials prevented access to computer records, thus limiting the number of employees who could be punished.

Government Patents: Everything You Need To Know

Countless government patents are submitted annually such patent applications are examined not only by the United States Patent and Trademark Office but also by such government departments as the Pentagon, National Security Agency, Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security.3 min read

Uspto Website Patent Searching

Having some understanding of the changes in patent information may help you understand why using the USPTO search database may be difficult. Here is some context:

1. The USPTO patent database is divided into two parts:

– patents from 1976 onwards which can be searched using keywords along with other parameters

– patents from 1790-1975 which can only be searched using the Issue Date, Patent Number and Current U.S. Classification.

This means if your invention builds upon older technology you will most likely need to search this pre-1975 database and therefore need to determine the U.S. Classification of the invention in order to do a thorough search including older patents.

2. Searching the USPTO database using keywords in not ideal because your search terms may not be the same words as the invention.

For example, if you were to search Rubik’s Cube you would most likely not find the invention titled Spatial logical toy

3. Patent applications are in their own database called AppFT .

Don’t Miss: Dental Implant Grants For Low Income

New Training Opportunities For The Patent Public Search Tool

Follow the link to register for the classes. The first one is a Beginner Training the second one is for more advance users.

• Minutes from Previous Public Users Meetings

The United States Patent and Trademark Office Public Search Facility located in Alexandria, VA provides public access to patent and trademark information in a variety of formats including online, microfilm, and print. Trained staff are available to assist public users.

PatentsState of the art computer workstations provide automated searching of patents issued from 1790 to the current week of issue using the Examiner Automated Search Tool , the USPTO website, and other related applications. Full document text may be searched on U.S. patents issued since 1971 and OCR text from 1920 to 1970. U. S. patent images from 1790 to the present may be retrieved for viewing or printing. Some foreign patent documents may be searched using EAST. Official Gazettes, Annual Indexes , the U.S. Patents Quarterly , the Manual of Classification and its subject matter index, and other search aids are available in various formats.

Patent assignment records of transactions affecting the ownership of patents, and microfilmed deeds are also available.

Rules of conduct in USPTO facilities Conduct in Public Information Facilities

Help With Your Search

The patent search allows you to construct search strings and search a wider range of parameters/fields. Information on the range of operators and wildcards you can use to do this is included in the . We recommend you read this guide before starting your search.

If youâre searching the New Zealand Patent Register for archived patents, see .

Don’t Miss: Government Grants For Auto Repair Shops

United States Patent And Trademark Office

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO’s headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia, after a 2005 move from the Crystal City area of neighboring Arlington, Virginia.

The USPTO is “unique among federal agencies because it operates solely on fees collected by its users, and not on taxpayer dollars”. Its “operating structure is like a business in that it receives requests for servicesapplications for patents and trademark registrationsand charges fees projected to cover the cost of performing the services provide”.

The USPTO cooperates with the European Patent Office and the Japan Patent Office as one of the Trilateral Patent Offices. The USPTO is also a Receiving Office, an International Searching Authority and an International Preliminary Examination Authority for international patent applications filed in accordance with the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

Searching Using Classification Codes

Classification codes can be a useful tool when researching inventions. Keyword searches alone can lead to very large numbers of results. Using classification codes together with keyword searches can help you focus results to a more manageable level.

Typically, searchers will prepare a list of keywords that describe the invention and identify relevant classification codes. Top level classifications are useful when the same term can be used to describe an invention in different technology areas . Lower order classifications can be useful to narrow a search where a large number of documents are retrieved .

Also Check: Grants For Owner Operators

Trademarks/use Of Dol Seals

DOL seals and/or logos on this website are the protected property of the federal government and may not be used without our prior permission. In addition, some terms, phrases, slogans and/or designs appearing on our website may be the trademarked property of others, used by the DOL under a license. Prior to using such a trademark, it is your responsibility to acquire any necessary permission from the owner/s of the trademark. You may contact DOL for details about particular trademarks, but we cannot assist you in contacting trademark owners or arranging and managing license agreements for the use of such trademarks. Trademark information may be acquired from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at .

Inventions Of Federal Employees

Under federal law, protection rights of an invention created by federal employees will be in government hands if the invention was:

• Made using government resources, which can include funding, equipment, documentation, information, etc. or
• Connected to the inventors official duties.

If the government doesnt want to step in to file the patent application, then the appropriate department officials will need to permit the employee to do so. Even if the above criteria arent met, as a federal employee and inventor, you may still owe the government other rights, including royalty fees, non-exclusivity, etc. If, however, the government does in fact step in and take over the patent application for your invention, you will still earn roughly 15% of the profit from that invention.

Recommended Reading: Dispensary Silver City Nm

Public Search Facility Reopens To The Public May 31

The Universal Public Work Stations in the Public Search Facility at the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters, in the File Information Unit and the USPTO regional offices is now retired due to the recent launch of the web-based Patent Public Search tool and other search tools being publicly accessible. If you previously utilized UPWS and you wish to continue to use the PSF and regional offices for search activities, you will now need to set up a MyUSPTO.gov account.

For those new to MyUSPTO.gov, there are links to search tools for both Patent and Trademark data, including assignment searches, status searches, the Trademark Electronic Search System and the new US Patent Public Search Tool. You can access all of the search services in the workstations in the PSF and regional offices. For questions about the UPWS retirement, please contact .

For questions or assistance with your MyUSPTO.gov account, please visit the resource page on the USPTO website.

Inventions Of State Employees

Laws regarding state employee inventions are similar to that of the federal government. If you are a state employee, youll want to ensure that you are fully aware and knowledgeable regarding the specific state laws for the state you work in. Specifically, the state of Connecticut has ownership over state employee inventions if:

• The invention is made during the employees work hours
• If the invention emerges from the examination and inquiry done while working for the state or
• If the invention was developed with the help of state funding or having used the states materials, equipment, other state employees, etc.

Recommended Reading: Arkansas Assistance For Single Mothers

Inventions Of Government Contractors

Independent contractors fare better. Federal agencies might waive patent rights when entering into government contracts. If, however, you are a direct contractor with the federal government , then youll want to bring this up during the onboarding process so that you are aware of any hurdles youll have to go through.

Ii Status Information About Published Or Patented Applications

On- Line: For published and patented applications, status information may easily be obtained using the Patent Application Information Retrieval system.

Third parties should not call the Office to inquire as to the status of a published application other than to inquire if the application is still pending. To see if the application is still pending, third parties may call the FIU at 756-1800.

Read Also: Dental Grants For Low Income

Records Of The Patent And Trademark Office

• 241.1 ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY
• 241.2 RECORDS OF THE PATENT OFFICE RELATING TO “NAME AND DATE” PATENTS1837-8712 lin. ft.
• 241.3 RECORDS OF THE PATENT OFFICE RELATING TO NUMBERED PATENTS 1836-197324,863 lin. ft.
• 241.4 CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS

241.1 ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY

Established: In the Department of Commerce by the Patent OfficeName Change Act , January 2, 1975.

Predecessor Agencies:

In the Department of State:

• Secretary of State
• Patent Office, Department of the Interior
• Patent Office, Department of Commerce

Functions:

Finding Aids: Forrest R. Holdcamper, comp., “PreliminaryInventory of the Records of the Patent Office,” NC 147 supplement in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminaryinventories.

Related Records: Record copies of publications of the PatentOffice and the Patent and Trademark Office in RG 287,Publications of the U.S. Government.

RECORDS

241.2 RECORDS OF THE PATENT OFFICE RELATING TO “NAME AND DATE” PATENTS1837-8712 lin. ft.

Note: Patent records predating 1836 were unnumbered and could beaccessed only by name of patentee and date of patent. After 1836,unique numbers assigned by the Patent Office distinguished eachnew patent.

Textual Records: Copies, made 1839-87, of certificates describingpatents granted between 1794 and 1835.Specifications, copied 1837-83, relating to original and reissuedpatents granted before 1837. Copies, made 1837-47, relating topatents granted before 1837.

Microfilm Publications: T1235.

241.4 CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS

Information Open For Public Inspection In New Zealand

All patents, and some patent applications, are published by IPONZ. The names and contact details for the owner, inventor, appointed agent and title of the invention are published on our website when the application is made.

Generally the description of the invention and examination reports will be viewable 18 months from the earliest priority date under the Patents Act 2013. Published patent specifications will be marked with a code that indicates the type of publication.

For applications made under the Patents Act 1953, the specification of the invention is available online after the application has been accepted and notified in the IPONZ Journal.

Also Check: Best Entry Level Government Jobs

Join The United States Patent And Trademark Office

We lead the world in intellectual property protection and policy. We hire on the cutting edge of American innovation.

USPTO recognizes that choosing your next job is one of the most important decisions you can make. We dont take it lightly, and neither should you. It can catapult your career in new and exciting ways. And it can bring you the kind of job satisfaction that only exists with the right fit.

If you are a highly motivated self-starter looking to apply your unique skillsets to harness the power of innovation while protecting U.S. intellectual property rights at home and abroad, search and apply for a position today!

To learn more about careers at USPTO including salary and benefits, diversity, training, student programs, veteran hiring programs and disability hiring programs, visit us at www.uspto.gov/jobs.

Us Patent And Trademark Office Resources

When conducting a search for available patents or patent applications, the website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can be very helpful, as it contains large amounts of data that can be used for research. All of this data is easily searchable and can find specific issued patents or applications, trademarks, a comprehensive review of intellectual property law and current items in the news.

Once you are on the USPTOs website, depending on if you are interested in patents or trademarks, you will click on the area that says patents or trademarks. If you click on patents, a table of contents will appear that will provide an exhaustive list of resources the website provides. One of these resources, and probably the most relevant if you are reading this article, is the search patents tab. This will bring you to a number of different search databases. One that is very helpful is the Patent Number Search, which can be used to find a copy of a particular patent.

If a patent number is not available or you do not know a specific patent number, you can click on advanced search instead. Under advanced search, you can search for a patent by:

• The owners name

Recommended Reading: Grant For Dental Implants For Seniors

I Access To And Copies Of Applications Which Have Been Published

A member of the public cannot obtain direct physical access to any pending published application, but may obtain a copy of the papers in the application file as follows:

On-line: Patent application publications are available electronically on the USPTO website, at . A copy of a patent application publication, a patent application file contents or a particular paper within the file contents of a patent application that was published under 35 U.S.C. 122 may be requested electronically at with authorization to charge the appropriate fee to a deposit account or credit card.

A copy of a patent application publication, a patent application file contents or a particular paper within the file contents of an patent application that was published under 35 U.S.C. 122 may be requested by mail. Address correspondence to:

The request must include the application’s publication number and payment of the appropriate fee.

A copy of a patent application publication, a patent application file contents or a particular paper within the file contents of an patent application that was published under 35 U.S.C. 122 may be requested by facsimile, with a credit card, electronic fund transfer, or deposit account authorization for the appropriate fee. The FAX number is 305-8759.

Fees: The fee for a copy of an application file’s contents is set forth in 37 CFR 1.19. The fee for a particular paper is set forth in 37 CFR 1.19.

History Of The Us Patent And Trademark Office

Patents are very much embedded in early American culture. They were established in some form in many of the original thirteen colonies. The government in 1790 established the federal patent system, which laid the foundation for the current patent system we have today.

The existence of a formal patent system back then exemplifies the importance our country put on invention, creativity, and research. The USPTOs database still has records of the patents granted between 1790 and 1909. The database contains the patent number, the current U.S. category, the name of the patent owner, the patent date, and the patent location. When available, the database also contains images of the patent document. Patents that were issued starting from 1789 until today are available, and since March of 2001, applications are also available.

In order to view the databases and patent applications, you must install the TIFF viewer, which can be found on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices website, at . To find a brief summary of how to conduct a search and view available patents, you can click on 7 Step Search Strategy which can be found at .

Read Also: Best Jobs For History Majors

Search International Patent Offices

To see if your idea has been patented abroad, you’ll want to refer to searchable databases made available from other International Intellectual Property offices.Free online access to patent collections is provided by many countries. Some available databases include:

• European Patent Office provides a network of Europe’s patent databases- This site also provides access to machine translation of European patents for some languages.
• Japan Patent Office – This site also provides access to machine translations of Japanese patents.
• World Intellectual Property Organization provides PATENTSCOPE® Search Service, which features a full-text search of published international patent applications and machine translations for some documents as well as a list of international patent databases.
• Other International Intellectual Property Offices that provide searchable patent databases include: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway,Sweden,Switzerland and Taiwan.

Stopfakes.Gov provides informative Toolkits that give an overview of the Intellectual Property Rights environment in various countries around the world.

For additional search resources, contact your local Patent and Trademark Depository Library , visit the USPTO Public Search Facility or the USPTO Main STIC Library. The staff in the Main STIC Library are experts on foreign patents and able to help the public as needed.

Slow Patent Examination And Backlog

The USPTO has been criticized for taking an inordinate amount of time in examining patent applications. This is particularly true in the fast-growing area of business method patents. As of 2005, patent examiners in the business method area were still examining patent applications filed in 2001.

The delay was attributed by spokesmen for the Patent Office to a combination of a sudden increase in business method patent filings after the 1998 State Street Bank decision, the unfamiliarity of patent examiners with the business and financial arts , and the issuance of a number of controversial patents in the business method area.

Effective August 2006, the USPTO introduced an accelerated patent examination procedure in an effort to allow inventors a speedy evaluation of an application with a final disposition within twelve months. The procedure requires additional information to be submitted with the application and also includes an interview with the examiner. The first accelerated patent was granted on March 15, 2007, with a six-month issuance time.

As of the end of 2008, there were 1,208,076 patent applications pending at the Patent Office. At the end of 1997, the number of applications pending was 275,295. Therefore, over those eleven years there was a 439% increase in the number of pending applications.

Read Also: Fepblue.org/planupdates