Has the United States Patent and Trademark Office joined the 21st Century? The online USPTO patent database now allows users to download a pdf file of an entire patent (or patent application). Previously, we had two options to view patents:
- download an image of a single page of the patent or
- go to a third-party website to download a pdf of the patent
One can now download a full-patent pdf by following these steps:
- browse to a patent or published patent application in the USPTO database
- click the “Images” button
- click the “Full Pages” button
At that point, your browser will probably open the pdf of the patent/application within your browser window. Patent searching just got a little easier!