FAQ searching

Can I search for a patent-holder?

Yes. Simply enter the name in the applicant or inventor field. In order to retrieve all variants, you should also use truncation and alternative spellings when searching for inventor and applicant names.

Can I search for a non-patent literature (XP) document?

Yes. However, only documents which have been classified or cited in a search report produced at the EPO are available. It is not possible to retrieve an XP document by the name of the author, nor is it possible to limit a search to XP documents only. When searching for a specific article, you must enter the NPL (non-patent literature) reference number in the publication number field.

Please see the non-patent literature help file.

How can I use keywords to retrieve patents?

You can search for one word only (eg bicycle) or more than one word (up to a maximum of ten).

If you enter more than one word (eg frame bicycle) in the title or abstract field, only those documents will be retrieved in which all the words appear.

You do not need to type the Boolean operator AND to combine your search words as it is the default operator in this field.

You can of course use the NOT operator to exclude certain words or the OR operator to add synonyms to your search query. Do not use apostrophes or hyphens but blanks (spaces) within the search fields.

Have a look at the truncation help file.

Can I search for a phrase?

Yes, you can search for a phrase using quotation marks (eg "bicycle frame"). This will retrieve only those documents in which the exact phrase is present.

Can I use truncation or wildcards?

Please see the truncation help file.

Can I use apostrophes and hyphens ?

No. These characters should be replaced by blanks (spaces).

How can I expand my search?

Please see the Boolean operators and nested queries help files.

How can I narrow my search?

Please see the Boolean operators and nested queries help files.

How can I exclude records?

Please see the Boolean operators and nested queries help files.

What are the default operators?

Please see the default operators help file.

How can I optimise my search?

Optimum results can be obtained by searching using a combination of the IPC /ECLA and abstract fields.

How do I enter a number?

Please see the application number , priority number , publication number and NPL reference number help files.

How can I retrieve all documents having a particular country code?

To retrieve all the documents having a particular country code (eg GB), all you have to do is enter the country code in the application , priority or publication number field.

Do I need to enter the kind code?

Please see the kind codes help file.

Where can I find a list of kind codes?

Please see the kind codes help file.

What is an application number?

Please see the application number help file .

What is a priority number?

Please see the priority number help file.

What is a publication number?

Please see the publication number help file.

What is an NPL reference number?

Please see the NPL reference number help file.

Can I enter a date range?

Yes. Please see the publication date help file.

What is ECLA?

Please see the European classification help file.

What is the IPC?

Please see the International Patent Classification help file.

Why could it be that a certain patent document is not displayed in the results list?

This is due to the fact that we only show one document per patent family, thereby eliminating duplicates and that specific document is probably one of the duplicates (equivalent). By clicking on the title of a document, you will view the bibliographic data as well as the "Also published as" section where all duplicates are listed, if available in facsimile form. Please see the patent family help file.

What does the description of a patent cover?

Please see the description help file.

What is a claim?

Please see the claims help file.

What is a cited document?

Please see the cited documents help file.

Why do I sometimes find the abstract of a corresponding document?

The aim of Espacenet is to have an English-language abstract available for each set of corresponding patents (also known as "equivalents"). When a document retrieved during a search does not have an English abstract, but there is one available for a corresponding document, the latter is displayed. Please see the corresponding documents help file.

What do A1, A2, A3 and B stand for after an EP publication number in the "Also published as" list?

A1 stands for an application published with a search report, A2 stands for application published without a search report, A3 stands for the search report and B stands for patent specification . For certain countries, if you know the kind code, you should enter it at the end of the number in order to retrieve the document requested, eg ES1005422U. These countries are : Austria, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Korea, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, The Netherlands and Turkey.

Do I need to enable cookies on my PC?

Yes. If you don't, you may not be able to save documents in the "my patents list", or print or see in the print preview more than the first page, or even view the last results list. Please check your internet settings. Delete the "old" cookies. In the Internet Options of the browser, on the General page, click on Delete cookies and Delete files. Configure the settings of the Temporary Internet Files, there are more possibilities for checking newer versions of stored pages: with "Never" it will not work, with "Automatically", or with "Every visit to the page" it should work. A restart of the Espacenet homepage is required.

How should I configure my PC to enable the download/print function of full documents?

We recommend to use at least Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 5 and a Windows platform is advisable. Please insert the following addresses: http://ep.espacenet.com, http://v3.espacenet.com (or any other relevant Espacenet server) into the Trusted Sites folder that is to be found under Tools-> Internet Options -> Security. You have to enable cookies on your PC. In the Internet Options of the browser, on the General page, click on Delete cookies and Delete files. Configure the settings of the Temporary Internet Files. There are more possibilities for checking newer versions of stored pages: with "Never" it will not work, with "Automatically", or with "Every visit to the page" it should work. A restart of the Espacenet homepage is required.