Patents and Trademarks: IP Research


Looking to conduct current or historical IP research?  This page contains some resources to help you discover data and more!

Recent Patents Analysis & Data

These databases are very information-rich, plus offer bulk downloads and have built-in visualizations.  Make sure to create an account* if you plan to download data and save searches.  If you would like an overview, please do reach out for help!
*Note: Non-Virginia Tech affiliates can create a free account with Dimensions, but must be on one of our computers in order to access patent data.  Make sure to use the link below to ensure access while using.
(There are no comparable trademark databases for this purpose currently - even USPTO's newest Trademark Search system can only do 100 records at once and WIPO only the first 180, although it does have some visualizations built-in.)

Existing Research Tools

Looking for some tools pre-developed for doing research?  There are many applications of patent and other IP data!
  • TechnologyRates*: developed by MIT, using Patent data to predict technological improvement rates for all technologies
*Only for academic use

USPTO Resources

  • USPTO Developer - offers access to data and more:
    • Datasets: find data including applications and historical patent data
    • APIs: includes office actions, PTAB and more
    • Visualizations: USPTO developed and interactive covering many different data stories in IP
(Be sure to also check out all the options under the "Analytics" menu from the main developer page too!)