To search international patents by class, first identify an international patent classification that corresponds to a US Patent class and subclass. We have a paper concordance in the Patent Center (608.773 C7419) or you can find one on the PTO’s web site.
- Go to www.uspto.gov
- Under patents, click on search, click on Tools to Help in Searching Patents by Classification.
- Under A1, type in a class and subclass and select U.S. to IPC Concordance and click on submit.
- Jot down the IPC number such as b60j1/20 (no space)
- Go to http://ep.espacenet.com
- Click on Advanced Search.
- Type in the IPC classification on the last line and click on search.
- Click on a patent number for more information on a patent. The amount of information varies from patent to patent. Some patents are complete with drawings and claims. Others have only abstracts and many have no information. You can choose from a list of options (if available) on the top of the screen.
