A patent is granted to an inventor to have the sole right to sell, use and make his invention for a specific period of time. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is responsible for approving patent applications. The approved patents are then filed and searchable by many data fields such as inventor name, patent number, application date and primary examiner. Searching the patent database for an inventor can be done online through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
View the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. The main page has three columns, Patents, Trademarks and IP Law & Policy. Look at the Patent column and click on "search".
View the search option page which allows users to search by various methods such as full text, image and facility. To search by inventor, scroll down to the section "USPTO Patent Full Text and Image Database (PatFT)" and click on "Quick Search".
Enter the search term in the box next to the wording "Term 1". This is where the last name of the inventor should be entered. In the drop down box to the right, choose "Inventor Name." Then select the years to search from the drop down. Click "search" to conduct the search.
View the results to locate the patent being sought. The results are categorized by Patent Number (PAT. NO.) and Title. Click on the title sought to view the information to confirm this is the inventor being searched.
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