Patents and Trademarks

This guide features our Patent and Trademark Resource Center's (PTRC) resources and services.

Patent Basics

Patents protect new inventions. There are three types of patents:

  1. Utility - protect inventions, such as iPod, chemical fertilizer, the process of manipulating genetic traits in mice. Utility patents offer 20 years of protection from the date of filing a regular patent application.
  2. Design - protects ornamental, non-functional designs, such as the unique shape of an electric guitar or design for a lamp. Design patent offer 14 years of protection.
  3. Plant - protects asexually reproduced distinct and new variety of plant, other than a tuber propagated plant or a plant found in an uncultivated state, such as roses, trees, and hybrids. Plant patents offer 20 years of protection from the date of filing a regular patent application.

Patent Searching

Learn about patents and search strategies:

 

Search for US patents using Patent Public Search:

 

The older search databases, PatFT, AppFT, PubEAST, and PubWEST, were retired on September 30, 2022. View the announcement here.

 

Patent Assistance:

International Patents

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