US Patent Search & Prior Art Explorer
Search landmark patents, construct boolean prior art queries for USPTO and Google Patents, and explore CPC technology classifications.
Touch Screen Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface (Multi-Touch Gestures)
A computer-implemented method for a portable multifunction device with a touch screen displaying information and interpreting multi-finger gesture inputs.
Method for Node Ranking in a Linked Database (PageRank)
A method assigns ranks to nodes in a linked database, such as any world wide web, determining importance based on recursive link topography.
Process for Amplifying Nucleic Acid Sequences (PCR)
A process for amplifying specific nucleic acid sequences using primer hybridization, DNA polymerase synthesis, and repeated thermal denaturation cycles.
Advanced Boolean Prior Art Query Constructor
Generate structured search strings optimized for Google Patents and USPTO Patent Public Search.
multi-touch gesture assignee:(Apple)
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) Hierarchy
The CPC system is jointly maintained by the USPTO and the EPO across 8 core technological domains:
Section A: Human Necessities
Agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, apparel, and sports equipment.
Section B: Performing Operations
Manufacturing, robotics, automotive engineering, printing, and material handling.
Section C: Chemistry & Metallurgy
Inorganic and organic chemistry, polymers, gene editing, nanotechnology, and metallurgy.
Section G: Physics & Computing
Data processing, machine learning (G06N), optics, sensors, cryptography, and databases.
Section H: Electricity & Electronics
Semiconductors (H01L), wireless telecommunications (H04W), batteries, and quantum circuits.
Prior Art & Patent Search Best Practices
Prior art encompasses any publicly available evidence—including earlier patent grants, published applications, academic papers, conference proceedings, or commercial products—demonstrating that an invention is not novel or would be obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art.
Class-Based Searching
Keyword searches often miss critical prior art due to lexical variations. Always combine keywords with CPC subclass classifications.
Forward & Backward Citations
Trace patent genealogy: inspect backward citations to understand ancestry, and forward citations to discover subsequent improvements.
Freedom to Operate (FTO)
FTO reviews focus strictly on active, unexpired independent claims within your target manufacturing and sales territories.
About this tool
How to use it
- Search patents by keyword, patent number (e.g. US6285999), inventor name, assignee corporation, or CPC classification.
- Use the Advanced Prior Art Query Constructor tab to craft multi-field boolean search expressions with date ranges and assignees.
- Click on any patent record to view abstract details, grant year, assignee, and direct external links to Google Patents and USPTO.
- Browse the CPC / IPC Technology Classification Explorer to locate specific subclasses for medical devices, machine learning, semiconductors, and telecommunications.
- Export your patent research bibliography to CSV or JSON format.
Why it matters
Conducting prior art searches and understanding patent landscape dynamics is essential for inventors, patent attorneys, engineers, and startup founders before filing costly patent applications. This tool provides an instant patent discovery index, boolean query builder for USPTO and Google Patents, and classification navigation in an accessible client-side interface.
When to use it
Use when performing novelty and prior art assessments, identifying competitors' patent portfolios, researching foundational technological milestones, or generating academic patent citations.
Common questions
What is the difference between USPTO, Google Patents, and Espacenet?
The USPTO is the official federal issuing agency for United States patents. Google Patents indexes international full-text patent data and prior art citations worldwide. Espacenet is managed by the European Patent Office (EPO) and covers international patent families.
How does the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) work?
The CPC system categorizes technology into 9 broad sections (A through H and Y), followed by classes, subclasses, and groups. For example, G06F represents Electric Digital Data Processing.
Can I search for patents outside the United States?
Yes, our Advanced Query Builder can generate global queries across PCT (WO), European (EP), and international patent offices on Google Patents and Espacenet.
Is my patent search private?
Yes! All searches, filters, and query constructions are performed 100% locally within your browser. No search terms or patent ideas are logged or transmitted to our servers.