Patent Searches

Search US patents at the State Library of Iowa

If you're interested in doing a patent search at the State Library of Iowa to assess the patentability of your invention or research historical patents, State Library staff will be happy to walk you through the steps.

3 Database

The State Library has three different databases provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in which to search patents.  Staff at the State Library will answer basic questions about patents and the patent process.

Legal assistance

For legal guidance or assistance on the patent application, please consult a patent attorney. See our Iowa Patent Attorneys/Agents List registered to practice before the USPTO.

Searching US patents through USPTO Web site

The USPTO offers a 7-Step Strategy for searching patents on their Patent Full-Text and Full-Image database.  In order to view images (drawings) of patents you'll need to download a TIFF viewer. however the USPTO offers ways to download free TIFF viewers.

Searching Iowa Inventors

1843 - 2008, search the Iowa Inventors Database

Searching foreign patents

The European Patent Office provides an online database which searches Worldwide, European Patent Office, and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) files all in one.