Good patent searching guides on the web
Patent Databases
Use these databases for finding patents in chemistry.
- Google Patent SearchContains full text of US patents from 1790, EPO and WIPO from 1978
- USPTOThe definitive source for US patents--provides many ways for finding patents and patent applications
- SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
First time users must register to search SciFinder, which is available to current Dickinson affiliates only. Contact the Chemistry Liaison Librarian for registration information.
Search for important scientific discoveries as well as organic and inorganic substance information with references from journals and patents. This resource also provides step-by-step procedures and protocols, citation mapping, biosequence searching, retrosynthetic analysis, patent landscape mapping, and touch-screen enabled structure drawing. Citations only.
- EspacenetProvides access to over 80 million international patents
Patent searching tips
Approximately 80% of patents contain information published nowhere else, but patents can be very difficult to find. In fact, some patents are deliberately designed to be hard to retrieve in a patent search.
In addition, names used in patents may change over time, and the owner of the patent, or assignee, may change as well.
Try following these tips when beginning a patent search:
- Find as much information as you can about the drug: alternate names, patent holder, and approximate dates
- Try a keyword search for the most common names, combined with the patent holder as assignee
- Make use of the patent citations
