USPTO Launches New, Free Patent Public Search Tool

February 3, 2022

This week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the release of a new Patent Public Search tool that provides more convenient, remote, and robust full-text searching of all U.S. patents and published patent applications. According to the USPTO, this free, cloud-based platform combines the capabilities of four existing search tools scheduled to be retired in September 2022:

Public-Examiner’s Automated Search Tool (PubEAST)
Public-Web-based Examiner’s Search Tool (PubWEST)
Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT)
Patent Application Full-Text and Image Database (AppFT)

A new Patent Public Search webpage includes FAQs, training resources, and other information to help users transition to the new tool. Upcoming public training sessions will be posted on the webpage as soon as they are scheduled.