What are the search fields in the Patents Plus database?

You can create a Quick search query by selecting the following individual fields from the drop-down:

• Subject/Title/Abstract
• Abstract
• Inventor
• Assignee
• Title
• Ei Classification code
• Main heading
• Patent number
• Controlled term
• Country of origin
• Publication date
• Application number
• Priority number
• CPC code
• IPC code

Refer to the descriptions in the sections below for further information about these individual fields. You may also use these fields in an Expert search.

Search by single terms and/or phrases. To search for an exact phrase, enclose the term within braces or double quotation marks:

The ‘All’ field is a composite field. Search this field using single terms and/or phrases. To search for an exact phrase, enclose the term within braces or double quotation marks.

Using this field in a search query retrieves results from all the other fields listed in this FAQ except for the following:

• Patent (Document) type
• Year

Search for the date on which the patent application was filed. The date format for this field's search is YYYY-MM-DD. However, the application date is displayed as YYYYMMDD on the record page.

Search for the application identification number assigned by the patent office.

Search for the Patent assignee by single words or phrases. To search for an exact phrase, enclose the term in braces or double quotation marks.

When searching for a patent assignee, you may use the ‘Patent Assignee Browse’ index since patent assignee names may be cited in a variety of formats.

The name of the legal representative of the patent applicant. Search for the Patent attorney name by single words or phrases. To search for an exact name, enclose the term in braces or double quotation marks.

The 2-letter code representing the patent office. Currently, Engineering Village has data indexed from seven different patent offices:

• China - CN
• European - EP
• Germany - DE
• Japan - JP
• United Kingdom - GB
• United States - US
• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) - WO

All patents that cited the searched patent number. Refer to ‘How can I work with patent search results?’ for more information about how to search for patents cited by other patents.

The Patents Plus database has been enhanced with the Ei Classification codes. These codes are now available in Patents Plus and Compendex. The classification scheme is a numerical hierarchy of general subject categories. The numerical hierarchy ranges from the 100 series to the 1500 series.

These subject categories are used to place a term in context when its meaning can vary with usage. As an example, windows can refer to building materials or software. The classification codes for ‘Buildings and Towers’ (402 Series) and ‘COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DATA ENGINEERING’ (1100 Series) will limit your search to the proper subject area. Classification codes are available on the record page.

Searching by classification code can retrieve a large, relevant set of results without using synonyms.

Controlled terms are a list of subject terms used to describe the content of a document in the most specific and consistent possible manner. The controlled terms are linked on the record page. Clicking any of these controlled terms retrieves documents within the database's default time period.

The CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) system was jointly developed by the EPO (European Patent Office) and the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). Learn more about these classification codes on the Cooperative Patent Classification website.

The inventor's country of origin.

The person responsible for examining the patent application.

The date the patent was submitted to the patent office. The date format for this field's search is YYYY-MM-DD. However, the application date is displayed as MM/DD/YYYY on the record page.

Names should be entered as follows: last name (comma) (space) first name (or first initial) (space) middle initial (or middle name).

When searching for an inventor, you may use the ‘Inventor Browse index’ since inventor names may be cited in a variety of formats.

The International Patent Classification (IPC) is a hierarchical classification of patents by technology area. Learn more about these classification codes on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) website.

Enclose the IPC code in braces to search as an exact phrase, as shown in the examples below.

The day the patent was issued. The date format for this field's search is YYYY-MM-DD. The issue date is displayed under the ‘Publication date’ label on the record page in MM-DD-YYYY format. Refer to the ‘Publication date’ field in this document for further information.

The main heading in a patent document is a main descriptor, a subject classification that represents the document's main topic. Descriptors are referred to as controlled vocabulary terms, and all Main heading terms are also controlled vocabulary terms. The controlled vocabulary terms following the Main heading field represent additional concepts in the document.

This field contains the unique identification numbers assigned to the published publication (document) numbers for applications. You may search this field using just the assigned number, or by adding the 2-letter patent office (authority) code prefix (e.g., CN, DE, EP, GB, JP, US, WO). Refer to the following Example.

This field contains the information in which an application claims priority. It can consist of the following three components, but may consist of only one or two of these components:

• 2-letter code representing the patent office (authority) country (e.g., US, EP, GB, JP, WO, DE, CN)
• Application number of the claimed priority document
• Priority date in MM/DD/YYYY format

Listed below are various formatting examples.

Search the date the patent was officially issued using the MM/DD/YYYY format listed below.

Include the forward slashes between the month, day, and year components in your search query.

• MM is the 2-digit number of the month.

  • Enter a leading zero for months 1 through 9.
• DD is the 2-digit number of the day.

  • The day is a number between 1 and 31.
  • Enter a leading zero for days 1 through 9.
• YYYY is the 4-digit year.

You may use truncation to search for the patent using the 4-digit year.

Search for the ‘Subject/Title/Abstract’ to retrieve results from any of the following fields: ‘Main heading,’ ‘Controlled terms,’ Abstract,’ and ‘Title.’ To search for an exact phrase, enclose the term within braces or double quotation marks:

Search for chemical compounds with subscript (sub) or superscript (sup) in fields (other than controlled terms). Perform an exact match search using braces, as follows:

Do not use special characters such as left and right angle brackets <> or parentheses ( ) in this syntax.

Search for a patent title by single words or phrases. To search for a title using an exact phrase, enclose the term within braces or double quotation marks.

Uncontrolled terms are indexing terms that do not come from the controlled vocabulary lists. They are assigned by indexers when no appropriate term exists in the controlled vocabulary. They often describe new technology and terminology.

Examples:

You can restrict your document search to a specific publication year. You can also restrict your publication year searches via the ‘Add year range’ dropdown filter on the Quick search page and the ‘Date’ dropdown filter on the Expert search page.

See also Expert search fields and field codes for brief descriptions of these searchable fields and ‘How can I limit searches by database?’ for additional information about restricting your searches.