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Research Guides

Patents and Trademarks

How to find a patent

The easiest search is when you already have a number for an existing patent.  Some resources you may use are:

Although keyword searching is not the best way to find all patents related to one's idea (that would be classification searching), one can still benefit from a keyword search, using the following resources:

To perform a search for all related patents within a specific category, the following strategy is recommended by the USPTO: 

  1. Brainstorm terms to describe your invention.
  2. Conduct a keyword search using Patent Public Search.
  3. Conduct an in-depth review of the selected documents.
  4. Expand the search to publications with relevant CPC classifications.
  5. Review cited references.
  6. Broaden your search with foreign patents, non-patent literature and/or a patent professional's search.

Before you begin, you may want to check out the video from the USPTO titled "How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search: A Step by Step Strategy."

Patent Searching Using USPTO Website

Before applying for a patent, it is wise to perform a search to confirm that nobody has already patented it or made it part of public knowledge.  The USPTO suggests the following strategy for performing a patent search:

  1. Brainstorm terms to describe your invention.
  2. Conduct a keyword search using Patent Public Search.
  3. Conduct an in-depth review of the selected documents.
  4. Expand the search to publications with relevant CPC classifications.
  5. Review cited references.
  6. Broaden your search with foreign patents, non-patent literature and/or a patent professional's search.

Before you begin, you may want to check out the video from the USPTO titled "How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search: A Step by Step Strategy."

U.S. Patent Search Tools

International Patent Search Tools

Texas A&M University Patents

This collection within Texas A&M University Libraries' institutional repository, OAKTrust, includes granted patents (not applications) by Texas A&M faculty, students and staff that list Texas A&M University System as the original assignee (owner). 

Searching Special Subjects

Searching Plant Patents

You can search plant patents using many of the suggested sources on this site, but the majority will only have black and white images of these plants.  The color is an important part of a plant patent; luckily there are options for viewing these color images.  As a PTRC, the Business Library and Collaboration Commons at Texas A&M University has print color plant patents through April 11, 2023 in their collection.  The USPTO stopped printing color plant patents after that date. 

There are some options for finding color plant patent images online, which can be found below. 

Researching Patent Value