How to Search the Great Britain Patent Office Website

What I truly appreciate about this search screen is the Help section. This provides tips on how to format the publication or application numbers. Just know, if you want to look at an EP validated case, “EP” needs to be placed in front of the number to indicate the application type.  Once you’ve typed in your criteria, click Go, and the patent profile results will display.

Note whether you are navigating to the website from the European patent office or searching for a direct Great Britain patent, the patent profile has the same layout.  The default patent profile displays the case details.

The Great Britain patent office makes it extremely easy to identify dates by starting with the day, spelling the month, and ending with the four-digit year.  I appreciate this format as it removes any ambiguity.  However, you cannot copy and paste it into another document if you prefer a different date format. 

This page includes the basic bibliographic information such as:

• application number
• publication number
• status
• filing date
• publication date
• grant dates (grant of patent and publication of grant in the journal)
• next renewal date (my favorite!)
• titles (application and grant)
• applicant
• inventors

I like the simplicity of their site as they present you with just the main bibliographic information.  Another bonus is not having to scroll to see all the information.  Instead, they provide a navigation section “Select Case View” where you can select the additional information for which you are interested.

For instance, the “Documents” link takes you to all the filing and examination documents.  From here you can select as many files as you would like to download or view.  This is perfect for when that transferred-in case has no documentation showing where examination has left off.  There are other links on Forms Filed, Case Notes, Classifications, Citations, and Field of Search that may be helpful depending on your circumstance.

Now you know my tips and tricks for navigating the Great Britain patent office website!