Canadian Patents Database

Help: Searching for Text

You can search for text in the following fields:

• Inventor
• Inventor Country
• Owners
• Applicant
• Title
• Abstract (For laid-open patent applications and patents granted since August 15, 1978)
• Claims (For laid-open patent applications and patents granted since August 15, 1978)
• IPC (International Patent Code)(For laid-open patent applications and patents granted since August 15, 1978)
• CPC (Canadian Patent Code)
• PCT Filing Number
• International Publication Number

The Boolean Text Search lets you enter text for up to three of the text fields in the database and for one of the date fields.

The Advanced Text Search lets you enter text for all of the text fields in your search and for one of the date fields.

Examples of Text Field Searches

For each of the text fields, we have provided a few example searches and some comments.

These examples show some of the power of the Canadian Patent Database's search language.

SEARCHING THE INVENTOR FIELD

Type a portion of a name, a name or multiple names of inventors.

Examples:

swen*

Finds patents by all inventors with first or last name starting with "swen". Use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard.

jones <near/3> dixie

Finds patent documents where "jones" is within three words of dixie to find the inventor « JONES, DIXIE ».

frommer <near> statmann

Finds inventions with both "frommer" and "statmann" as inventors.

selker <near/3> ed*

Finds patents by inventors named "selker", with first name beginning with "ed".

SEARCHING THE INVENTOR COUNTRY FIELD

This option is available only on Advanced Text Search. The Country searching is initiated by selecting one of the Country fields from the pull down box:

Inventor Country Not Selected United Arab Emirates Afghanistan Algeria Antigua and Barbuda Anguilla Albania Armenia Netherlands Antilles Italy

SEARCHING THE OWNERS FIELD

Type the word(s) or name you expect to find for the person or organization who owns the patent document or was the grantee owner, see OWNERS (Country).

Examples:

northern telecom

laboratories <or> labs

You may need to look for similar names to find all patent documents for some corporations.

northern t*

Another way to look for multiple spellings.

SEARCHING THE APPLICANT FIELD

Type the word(s) or name you expect to find for the person or organization that applies the patent document.

Examples:

frommer <near> statmann

Finds inventions with both "frommer" and "statmann" as applicants.

jones <near> dixie

Finds patent documents where "jones" is within three words of dixie to find the inventor « JONES, DIXIE ».

selker <near/3> ed*

Finds patents by applicants named "selker", with first name beginning with "ed".

northern telecom

laboratories <or> labs

You may need to look for similar names to find all patent documents for some corporations.

northern t*

Another way to look for multiple spellings.

swen*

Finds patents by all applicants with first or last name starting with "swen". Use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard.

SEARCHING THE TITLE FIELD

Type the word(s) you expect to find in the title.

Examples:

mainframe

finds patent documents with the word "mainframe" in the title.

processor <or> "processing unit"

finds patent documents with either the phrase "processor" or "processing unit" in the title. Enclose a phrase in quotes.

(golf <and> <not> ball)

finds patent documents with the word "golf" but not the word "ball" in the title.

disk drive <near> air

finds patent documents with the phrase "disk drive" within 256 words of the word "air" in the title.

SEARCHING THE ABSTRACT FIELD

Enter the word(s) or phrases you expect to find in the abstract of the invention. A search on the abstract field will only retrieve laid-open patent applications and patent documents that were granted after August 15, 1978.

Examples:

virtual memory

finds patent documents with the phrase "virtual memory" in the abstract.

virtual <or> memory

finds patent documents with either the word "virtual" or the word "memory" in the abstract.

("virtual memory" <and> <not> compiler)

finds patent documents with the phrase "virtual memory", but not with the word "compiler" in the abstract.

laptop <accrue> battery <accrue> charge

finds patent documents with any of the words "laptop", "battery" or "charge" in the abstract. Accrue is like <or> but document scoring is different; documents with more search words will be ranked higher in the scoring of the results.

SEARCHING THE CLAIMS FIELD

Enter the word(s) or phrases you expect to find in the claims. A search on the claims field will only retrieve laid-open patent applications and patent documents that were granted after August 15, 1978.

Examples:

superconductivity

finds patent documents with the word "superconductivity" in the claims.

superconductivity <or> manufacturing

finds patent documents with either the word "superconductivity" or "manufacturing" in the claims.

(superconductivity <and> <not> manufacturing)

finds patent documents with the word "superconductivity", but not with the word "manufacturing" in the claims.

superconductivity <accrue> magnetic <accrue> inductance

finds patent documents with any of the words "superconductivity", "magnetic" or "inductance" in the claims.

SEARCHING THE CLASSIFICATION FIELD

Select the classifications or a portion of the classification under which you expect to find related patent documents.

The two latest versions (6 and 7) can be consulted on the WIPO Web site at http://classifications.wipo.int/

Examples:

IPC contains H03K 19/0175

finds all patent documents with this classification in either the primary or secondary IPC fields.

Note: The zero after the slash in the IPC subgroup specification is significant. Any third or subsequent digit after the oblique stroke is to be understood as a decimal subdivision of the digit preceding it, e.g., "19/0175" is to be found after "19/017" and before "19/018".

IPC contains H01F 2/*

finds all patent documents classified into this group in either the primary or secondary IPC fields.

CPC contains 20/230.1

finds all patent documents with this classification in either the primary or secondary CPC fields.

CPC contains 20/230.*

finds all patent documents with a class of 20, subclass of 230, and any deci-class.

SEARCHING THE PCT FILING NUMBER FIELD

Enter the PCT Filing Number assigned by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Example:

JP1991/001459

SEARCHING THE INTL PUBLICATION NUMBER FIELD

Enter the International Publication Number assigned by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Example:

WO1992/007846