Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) > Patents and Trademarks Home

International / Foreign Patents

Many foreign patents are now available on the Web. Try out this link:

ESPACE
Full-text database of 50 million patent applications and patents granted by the European Patent Office and up to 71 other countries, including the United States. On one site, you can make a Worldwide search of the complete database (including the United States) or search separately through individual databases for European patents and Japanese patents

The Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) is a Patent Depository Library, and has a strong collection of foreign and international patent resources.

General Description of Availability
WIPO and EPO
Individual Countries

General Description of Availability

SIBL has a large collection of foreign and international patents and patent gazettes. Those in full text are available mainly on microfilm, though some of the more recent patents are available on CD ROM, and some of the older patents are available in paper. Those in gazettes (i.e., an abstract of the patent) are primarily available on paper.

Both the microfilm and CD ROM versions are located in SIBL's Microfilm Reading Room on the lower level.* Those in book form may be either in SIBL's closed stacks, retrievable with a call number, patent number and date, or in the New York Public Library's Annex. Those kept in the Annex can be requested at SIBL's Delivery Desk but take at least 24 hours to retrieve.

You may make photocopies of SIBL's foreign patents available on microfilm and CD ROM. Due to the fragile condition of some of the older paper copies, an archival photocopy may need to be made of these patents before photocopying is permitted by the public.

WIPO and EPO

WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)
PCT Gazette: May 1978-1994 (abstracts and illustrations only)
Full Text: 1981-1994 available on microfilm
GlobalPat: [includes WIPO, EPO, US, GB, France, Germany, Switzerland] (text/drawings: patents first pages)
1971-1996 available on CD [numbered GP-1 - GP-116]
1997- available on CD [1.97-6.97 numbered 1/5; 7.97-12.97 numbered 2/5; 1.98-6.98 numbered 3/5; etc.]
See Also: www.wipo.org

EPO (European Patent Office)
Applications [A1,A2]: 1978-1994 available on microfilm (full text)
Search Reports [A3] : 1988-1994 available on microfilm (full text)
Granted Patents [B1,B2] : 1981-1994 available on microfilm (full text)
1993-1994 available on microfilm (extracts only)
ESPACE EP-A: European Patent Applications on CD-ROM: 1995-1998 available on CD (full text)
ESPACE EP-B: Granted European Patents: 1995-1999 available on CD (full text)
ESPACE World: 1995-1999 available on CD (full text)
See Also: www.european-patent-office.org

Individual Countries

Australia
Australian Official Journal of Patents, Trademarks, and Designs: 1904-Jan. 1987 (abstracts and illustrations only)
Australian Official Journal of Patents: 1987-1994 (abstracts and illustrations only)
See Also: www.ipaustralia.gov.au/

Belgium
Propriete Industrielle Office. Recueil des Brevets d'Invention: 1854-1855 (abstracts only)
Propriete Industrielle Office. Recueil des Brevets d'Invention: 1855-1858 (abstracts & illustrations)
Propriete Industrielle Office. Recueil Des Brevets d'Invention: 1858-1896 (abstracts & relevant patent nos.)
Propriete Industrielle Office. Recueil Des Brevets d'Invention: 1897-1954 (abstracts by subject groups)
Propriete Industrielle Office. Recueil Des Brevets d'Invention: 1955-1985 (abstracts by IPC)
Propriete Industrielle Office. Brevets d'Invention: 1950-1973 (full text) [* patent #s 573,101-620,000 1958-1962 are missing.]
See Also: www.european-patent-office.org

Canada
Patent & Copyright Office. Canadian Patent Office Record: 1824-1869 (claims & drawings)
Patent & Copyright Office. Canadian Patent Office Record: 1869-1976 (abstracts only)
Patent & Copyright Office. Canadian Patent Office Record: 1976- (citations only)
Patent & Copyright Office. Canadian Patent Office Record: 4/3/79-8/4/81 [pat. # 1,051,619-1,106,550] (full text)
Patent & Copyright Office. Canadian Patent Office Record: 1986 [pat. #1,198,851-1,216,100] (full text)
See Also: http://patents1.ic.gc.ca/
(or www.european-patent-office.org )

Denmark
Patent Og Varemaerke Vaesenet Direktoratet. Danske Patent-Tidende: 1895-1988 (full text)
Patent Og Varemaerke Vaesenet Direktoratet. Danske Patent-Tidende: 1989-1994 (full text on microfiche)
See Also: www.european-patent-office.org

France
Propriete Industrielle Service Brevets d'Invention. Serie 1. Tomes 1-93: 1811-1844 (abstracts)
Propriete Industrielle Service Brevets d'Invention. Serie 2. Tomes 1-116: 1844-1870 (abstracts)
Propriete Industrielle Service Brevets d'Invention. Nouvelle Serie. Tomes 1-99: 1871-1896 (abstracts)
Propriete Industrielle Service Brevets d'Invention: 1899-1930 [pat. # 284,609-691,000] (full text)
Propriete Industrielle Service Brevets d'Invention: 1930-1970 [pat. # 675,601-2,038,055] (full text)
Propriete Industrielle Service Brevets d'Invention: 1982- [pat. # 2,485,867-] (full text on microfilm)
Bulletin Officiel de la Propriete Industrielle. Brevets d'Invention: 1944-1994 (abstracts & illustrations)
* Note: Serie1, Serie 2, and Nouvelle Serie (1811-1876) are indexed by subject in: United States Patents Office. Subject Matter Index of Patents for Inventions (Brevets d'Invention) Granted in France.
See Also: http://www.inpi.fr/
(or www.european-patent-office.org )

Germany
Auszuge aus den Ausleg-Schriften Patent Schriften: 1880-1941, 1955-1980 (abstracts & illustrations)
Germany (Federal Republic 1949-) Patentamt. Auslegeschrift: 1957-Jan. 1983 (full text)
Patent No. 1-977,889 on microfilm (full text)
1981-1994 on microfilm (full text)
Deutsches Gebrauchsmuster-schriften. DEPAROM U: 1999- on CD (full text)
Deutsches Patentdokumente, A1, C1-C4, T1: DEPAROM ACT: 1999- on CD (full text)
See Also: http://www.dpma.de/
(or www.european-patent-office.org )

Japan
Jitsuyo shin'an Koho: July 1905-Oct. 1941, Sept. 1954-Dec. 1962 (utility model specifications)
Tokkyo Hatsumei Meisaisho: Mar. 1910-Oct. 1941 (specifications)
Tokkyo Koho Patent Gazette: 1950-July 1965, July 1965-June 1973, 1982-1994 on microfilm (specifications)
Patent Abstracts of Japan: 1976- on CD (abstracts in English, plus images)
Isho Koho: Sept. 1954-June 1961(designs)
See Also: www.european-patent-office.org

Russia / USSR
Otkrytiya Izobreteniya Promyshlennyye Obraztzy Tovarnye Znaki: 1959- (abstracts & illustrations)
Otkrytiya Izobreteniya Promyshlennyye Obraztzy Tovarnye Znaki: 1987-1993 on microfilm (full text)

Sweden
Patent-och Registreringsverket. Utlaggningsskrift: 1885-July 1990 (full text)
Patent-och Registreringsverket. Utlaggningsskrift: Dec. 1989-1994 on microfile (full text)
See Also: http://www.prv.se/eng/index.html
(or www.european-patent-office.org )

United Kingdom
Great Britian Patent Office. Specification of Patents & Patents for Inventions. 1673-1875 (full text & plates)
Great Britian Patent Office. Specification of Patents & Patents for Inventions. 1876-1915 (full text & plates)
Great Britian Patent Office. Specification of Patents & Patents for Inventions. New Series. 1917-1979 [pat # 100,000-2,000,000](full text & plates)
Great Britian Patent Office. Specification of Patents & Patents for Inventions. New Series. 1979-1995 [pat # 2,000,000A-2,275,190] on microfilm (full text & plates)
Great Britian Patent Office. Specification of Patents & Patents for Inventions. 1895-1994 (citations only)
See Also:http://www.patent.gov.uk/
(or www.european-patent-office.org )