A Quick-Look Introduction to the USPTO’s New Patent Public Search System
by James Cottone
On February 1, 2022 the United States Patent and Trademark Office announced the launching of their new Patent Public Search tool, a system designed to “provide more convenient, remote, and robust full-text searching of all U.S. patents and published patent applications.” The new system builds on the capabilities of their four existing search tools, namely the Public-Examiner’s Automated Search Tool (PubEAST), Public-Web-based Examiner’s Search Tool (PubWEST), Patent Full-Text Database (PatFT), and Published Patent Application Full-Text Database (AppFT). These four legacy search tools are scheduled to be retired in September 2022.
