Research
Before applying for a patent for an invention, it is advisable to inform yourself carefully about the state of the art.
An invention must be new in order to be patentable. It must therefore not have been published before the filing date, i.e. it must not yet belong to the state of the art.
To determine the state of the art (novelty search), a search is carried out in the patent literature (patent specifications, disclosures) as well as in non-patent literature (scientific articles, technical journals) and other publicly accessible descriptions or uses in various media or databases.
In addition to novelty searches, patent databases can be used to quickly download cited patent literature (search for patent numbers, inventors or applicants) or to view current patent documents relating to an invention (patent family search).
You can find the most important free databases for a patent search under the following links:
DEPATISnet, the patent server of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, provides access to all German patent documents since 1877 and almost all other national and regional patents (approx. 50 million documents), e.g. USA, Japan, EP, WIPO.
The database of the European Patent Organisation (EPO) esp@cenet allows you to search for current EP documents and other patent documents from all over the world (approx. 60 million documents).
The database of the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) allows you to search for all US patent specifications (PatFT:Patents) and US patent applications (AppFT: Applications) in full text.
