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The USPTO Web site can be word-searched using the FirstGov search engine. Use the Search button in the toolbar above to conduct a text search of informational pages on the USPTO Web site. You can restrict your search to some selected portions of the site by choosing a folder of related Web pages from the dropdown menu on the site search page. Patents, Trademarks and information about large groupings of very similar items are not contained on Web pages but are accessed through online database systems that are linked to from our Web pages and cannot be searched using FirstGov. In order to search each database, you must connect and follow its specific directions. Below are connections to our search and status systems as well as links to material on our site that can be useful in crafting and conducting search queries. We have also included links to some popularly-requested non-USPTO databases. |
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Our Web site provides full text for patents issued from 1976 to the present. We provide full-page TIFF images for all patents from 1790 (YES, REALLY 1790!) to the present. You can search on text in all elements (fields) of the patent or select those fields you wish to search only for patents issued since 1976. You can search only by patent numbers and/or classification codes (click the icon for any class in the online manual to automatically search and retrieve patents for that classification code) for the pre-1976 patents. Your nearest Patent and Trademark Depository Library maintains local search resources and may offer training in patent search techniques. ***** IMPORTANT NOTE: If you can view a screen that has a little rectangle with a red square, green circle and blue triangle in it, or if you get a message in your browser saying that some required software cannot be found, then you need to download and install a TIFF image viewer that works with our TIFF images for your browser. ***** To view the full-page images of any patent you must: (1) download a TIFF image plug-in (viewer) and(2) run the downloaded executable file to install a TIFF image plug-in that supports CCITT Group 4 (G4) compression; (3) when you get a text search result based for a patent number, locate the "Images" button near the top of the screen to launch the viewer. The system will download the images one page at a time. More extensive Instructions for obtaining and using a free plug-in from different vendors are contained on "How to Access Full-Page Images." The biggest problem people have when installing a viewer is that they forget to close the browser application and run the viewer program's executable file after downloading it in order to actually install the viewer plug-in. If you have run the file and still have problems, try restarting your PC. TIFF image
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Have a suggestion for more material for this customer profile? E-mail suggestions to the webmaster@uspto.gov. While we cannot promise to accommodate all requests, your suggestions will be considered and may lead to other improvements to the web site.
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