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Important Notice
for Chrome Users

Basic Search

Search Patents Publications Both
Patent/Publication Number
Title/Abstract/Specification
Inventor
Assignee
Title
Abstract
Claims
Start Date
End Date
Clears search form and resets to original.
Copies fields from above search boxes into advanced search field to allow user to customize further. Button also erases the existing advanced search box.
Performs search from individual search boxes combining all terms separated by spaces in each box using AND. Also cumulatively searches all terms entered in all individual search boxes using AND. Use advanced search to change the operator or for search codes in the table below the Advanced Search boxes.
 

Advanced Search

Patents Publications
Manually enter an advanced search string.
Manually enter an advanced search string.
Takes advanced search string from Advanced Search box and performs search in selected patent, publication or both databases. Note that certain search codes are only valid in either the patent or the publication databases. If your search string includes field codes that are not in the database you are searching, your results will be empty. See the table below for a list of which codes work for which databases.


Patent Search Codes

The following are the codes that can be used to search additional Patent Office database fields using the advanced search boxes above. Many of the field codes below include specific examples for how to use them, but the general rule for each code is to follow the code with a forward slash / and then the search term.

If more than one term is used, you need to include the terms in parentheses and include a boolean operator, like "and" or "or". For example, "ref/(5763831 or 6833345)". Multiple field codes can also be used in a search string by including a boolean operator between them. For example, "ref/5763831 and in/shotey".


Code Descriptions

* Hover over code abbreviation for example
Patent Search Only
PN
PN
A patent number is the unique number assigned to applications that have issued as patents. The patent numbers for each particular type of patent vary by type and begin with "D" for design patents, "PP" for plant patents, "RE" for reissue patents, "T" for defensive publications, "H" for Statutory Invention Registrations, "X" for patents granted between 1790-1835, and "AI" for Additional Improvement patents.

PN/6543210 or PN/(6543210 or 6543211)
PN/65432$ or PN/65432?? to truncate
Patent Number
ISD
ISD
Patent Issue Date field. Patents currently issue on Tuesdays.

ISD/12/12/2006
ISD/12/1/2006->12/31/2006 for date range
ISD/12/$/2006 to truncate
Issue Date
LREP
LREP
The Legal Representative is the patent attorney or patent agent or law firm listed on the face of the patent as the representative when the patent issued.

LREP/(Smith-Samuel-C) or LREP/(Smith-Samue$)
LREP/(Booth and Udall)
Attorney or Agent
EXP
EXP
The Primary Examiner is the patent examiner primarily responsible for examining the patent application that resulted in the issued patent.

EXP/(Smith-John)
Primary Examiner
EXA
EXA
The Assistant Examiner is the patent examiner assisting the Primary Examiner in examining the patent application that resulted in the issued patent.

EXA/(Smith-John)
Assistant Examiner
FREF
FREF
Foreign patents cited as references in an issued US patent.
Foreign References
OREF
OREF
Other prior art references cited in an issued US patent such as books, articles, journals, conference proceedings and other miscellaneous publications.
Other References
PARN
PARN
Prior applications relating to the issued patent that appears in the specification of the patent.
Parent Case Information
REF
REF
Patents referencing a particular issued US patent.
Referenced By
REIS
REIS
Field includes data describing the reissue of a previously issued US patent, including Application Number, Application Filing Date, Patent Number, Issue Date.
Reissue Data
 
Publication Search Only
DN
DN
A publication document number is the unique number assigned to applications that have been officially published before being granted a patent.

DN/20040123456 or DN/(20040123456 or 20040123455)
DN/2004$ or DN/200401234?? to truncate
Document Number
PD
PD
Publication Date field. Publications are currently published on Thursdays.

ISD/12/12/2006
ISD/12/1/2006->12/31/2006 for date range
ISD/12/$/2006 to truncate
Publication Date
KD
KD
Kind code is a document code describing the stage of publication. The code "A” is the 1st publication usually a published application. The code "B1” is a patent (grant) that did not have a corresponding pre grant publication. The code "B2” is a grant that does have a corresponding pre grant publication associated with it.

KD/B2 or KD/(A or B1)
Pre-Grant Publication Kind Code  
 
Both Patent and Publication Searches
TTL
TTL
Title generally relates to the subject of the reference.

TTL/balloon or TTL/(balloon and red)
Title
IN
IN
For complete names, use the following formats:

IN/Smith or IN/(Smith-Samuel-C)
IN/(Smith and Samuel)
Inventor Name
ABST
ABST
Abstract often contains many of the important words from the reference.

ABST/balloon or ABST/(balloon and red)
Abstract
IC
IC
City listed in the inventor’s home address.

IC/(New and York) or IC/((New and York) or Washington)
Inventor City
ACLM
ACLM
The claims point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the applicant regards as the invention to define the scope of the patent protection.

ACLM/plug or ACLM/(electrical and box)
Claim(s)
IS
IS
State listed in the inventor’s home address.

IC/(New and York) or IC/((New and York) or Washington)
Inventor State
SPEC
SPEC
Patent description, including a brief summary and background of the invention, the detailed description, and a brief description of the drawing, if applicable.

SPEC/plug or SPEC/(electrical and box)
Description/Specification
ICN
ICN
Country listed as the inventor’s nationality.

ICN/(United and States) or ICN/((United and States) or Japan)
Inventor Country
CCL
CCL
Each patent is classified into one or more US classification categories and sub-categories based upon the type of technology being claimed. This field contains the original and cross-reference classes in which the patent was classified at the time of the most recent PTO Master Classification File. Search using the following format: CCL/class/subclass.

CCL/427/2.31 or CCL/2/5
CCL/427/$ to truncate a particular class
Current US Classification
AN
AN
The Assignee is the owner of the reference listed on the face of the reference.

AN/Smith or AN/(Smith-John)
AN/(ABC and Company)
AN/(ABC and Corp$) – at least 4 letters before $ to truncate
Assignee Name
ICL
ICL
Each patent is classified into one or more international classification categories and sub-categories based upon the type of technology being claimed. Search using the following format: CCL/class/subclass. If the international class reference includes a space, replace the space with a 0. The example below is for International Classification G06F 19/00.

ICL/G06F019/00
ICL/ G06F019/$ to truncate a particular class
International Classification
AC
AC
City listed in the assignee’s address on the patent.

AC/(New and York) or AC/((New and York) or Phoenix)
Assignee City
APN
APN
An Application Serial Number is assigned to every application that receives a filing date. The serial number is a six digit string with leading zeros (if needed). The series code is not part of the Application Serial Number. Thus, multiple duplicate serial numbers exist from different application number series. The series codes are shown below.

APN/034561
APN/034$ to truncate

Series Codes:
2 1947 and earlier
3 1948-1959
4 1960-1969
5 1970-1978
6 1979-1986
7 1987-1992
8 1993-1997
9 1998- Dec. 2001
10 Dec. 2001-Dec. 2004
11 Dec. 2004 – present
29 Design applications since 1993
Application Serial Number
AS
AS
State listed in the assignee’s address on the patent.

AS/(New and York) or AS/((New and York) or Washington)
Assignee State
APD
APD
Date the application is filed.

APD/12/12/2006
APD/12/1/2006->12/31/2006 for date range
APD/12/$/2006 to truncate
Application Date
ACN
ACN
Country listed in the assignee’s address on the patent.

ACN/(United and States) or ACN/((United and States) or Japan)
Assignee Country
RLAP
RLAP
Prior applications directly related to the reference such as by provisional, continuation, divisional or continuation-in-part.
Related US App. Data
GOVT
GOVT
Indicates the nature of the US Government's Interest in the reference.
Government Interest
PRIR
PRIR
Indicates in which foreign country an reference claims priority.

PRIR/Japan
Foreign Priority
APT
APT
Single-digit number field that indicates what type of reference it is. The field reference list is included below.
APT/4

Field Codes:
1 Utility
2 Reissue
4 Design
5 Defensive Publication
6 Plant
7 Statutory Invention Registration
Application Type
PCT
PCT
Field includes data describing the PCT Information related to the reference, including PCT Number, PCT 371 Date, PCT 102(e) Date, PCT Filing Date, PCT Publication Number, and PCT Publication Date.
PCT Information

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