How can I search for a patent?

U.S. Patent Office: an extensive site with instructions for searching US patents as well as links for international patents.

Espacenet (European Patent Office): global patent search with a very different interface and guidance from USPTO's.

Google Patents: includes patents from the USPTO from 1790 forward and from the WIPO and EPO from 1978 forward, though usually not as up to date as USPO or Espacenet. More about Google Patents.

 

Further guidance on patents and assistance for Harvard affiliates:

Patent Searching for SEAS students (Cabot Library)

 

 

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