All U.S. patents issued from 1790 - date Our collection also includes numerous books about intellectual property, how to conduct a patent search, and how to apply for a patent. Some of these books are available to borrow. South Carolina residents may apply for a courtesy borrower's card to check out books for two weeks. Copyright Information Patent Searches Reference Librarians have been trained to offer assistance, but you must perform the search yourself. Staff are not available to do patent searches for individuals, and cannot give opinions or legal advice.
Earlier patents are only accessible by patent number or classification.
The collection of full-text patents dating from 1976 is completely searchable, and contains the complete text and drawings of these patents. A handout on Searching the Patent Database is here. Note that it is necessary to have a TIFF Image viewer installed on your computer in order to view and print patent documents. Consult the handout on Installing a TIFF Viewer . The PTDL Program recommends The Seven Step Strategy to conduct a preliminary patent search at a Patent and Trademark Depository Library.