Patent and Published Application Full-Document PDFs

The Patent and Published Application Full-Text Database contains hyperlinks from the [Images] button at the top of each full-text document display to the full-page PDFs of each patent and pre-grant publication in the database. New full-page images are normally available each issue day (Tuesday of each week for patents, Thursday of each week for pre-grant publications).

• Notices
• Your System Requirements for Viewing Images
• Navigating among Full-Page Images

The USPTO Patent and Published Application Image Databases now use PDF images instead of TIFF images. Document images may be viewed, printed and saved using a standard PDF-equipped browser. In addition to the standard page-by-page viewing, users may now also click on a .Full Document. button to retrieve and save all the images for a document in a single multi-page PDF.

PTO's full-page images are stored and delivered to a web browser as single page PDF files. The user can also download the entire document as a single multi-page PDF.

To view PDF documents you can install and use the free Adobe® PDF file reader on your computer in order to view these files.

Successful printing of patent and published application document images is entirely dependent on the user's browser and document viewer software. PTO does not provide support for printing problems. We suggest, however, based on our experience, that with document viewers, images may best be printed using the document viewer's print button rather than the browser's print function.

Please see the USPTO's web page on Plugins - PDF for additional information and links to download the free Adobe® PDF file reader.

Navigating among Full-Page Images

Full-page PDF document images can be accessed from each patent's or published application's full-text display by clicking on the "Images" button at the top and bottom of the of each patent and published application full-text display page. If you have a properly installed Adobe® or other PDF document viewer, this will bring up the full-page image of the first page of the document along with navigation buttons for retrieving the other pages of the document. These buttons include buttons for the identifiable sections of each patent: Front Page, Drawings (if applicable), Specification, and Claims (may not be present in published applications). There are also buttons, when applicable, for Certificates of Correction, Reexamination Certificates, Patent Trial and Appeal Board Certificates (PTAB), and Supplemental Examination Certificates.

There is also a button for "Full Document" to retrieve the entire document as a single multi-page PDF. When retrieved as a single multi-page PDF, the standard page buttons in the PDF viewer can be used for navigation and to save the document.