LibGuides: Chemical Engineering: Find Patents

Patent Classification Information

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) effort is a joint partnership between the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) where the Offices have agreed to harmonize their existing classification systems (European Classification (ECLA) and United States Patent Classification (USPC) respectively) and migrate towards a common classification scheme.
International Patent Classification (IPC)
The International Patent Classification (IPC) provides for a hierarchical system of language independent symbols for the classification of patents and utility models according to the different areas of technology to which they pertain. A new version of the IPC enters into force each year on January 1.

SciFinder-N This link opens in a new window
SciFinder covers patents from around the world. Patent records from nine major patent offices worldwide that meet CAS selection criteria are available within two days of the patent's publication, and fully indexed by CAS scientists within 27 days from the date of issue. After your search, you can Refine -- Document Type -- Patent to narrow your results to only patents.

Detailed information on SciFinder coverage of patents
Everything you wanted to know about Chemical Abstracts/SciFinder's coverage of patents.
ACS Committee on Patents and Related Matters
Includes "What Every Chemist Should Know About Patents."
Chemical Patents (book chapter)
This is a chapter in the book, "Chemical Information for Chemists : A Primer," published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2013.
First to File: Patents for Today's Scientist and Engineer
This is a book published by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and Wily in 2014.

Seven Step Search Strategy
This is a suggested Seven Step Strategy for conducting preliminary searches of U.S. patents and published applications using free online resources of the USPTO and its bi-lateral partner EPO (European Patent Office).
U.S. Patent Search - Basic
The USPTO houses full text for patents issued from 1976 to the present and PDF images for all patents from 1790 to the present.
U.S. Patent Search - Advanced
U.S. Patent Application Search - Basic

Espacenet - Smart Search
Accessible to beginners and experts, Espacenet contains data on more than 90 million patent documents from around the world. Supporting information can help you understand whether a patent has been granted and if it is still in force.
Espacenet - Advanced Search
Espacenet - Classification Search
Patent Coverage Map
Choose a country from the interactive map and it will provide links to patent search sites that cover the country's patents.