Concepts
Patent Data
Understanding US patent data in LawForge
Patent Data
LawForge provides access to US patent data from the USPTO through PatentsView.
Data Source
Patent data comes from PatentsView, a platform maintained by the USPTO that provides bulk access to patent data. This includes:
- Patents - All granted US patents since 1976
- Assignees - Companies and individuals who own patents
- Inventors - Named inventors on patent applications
- Claims - The legal claims that define patent scope
- Citations - How patents reference each other
Coverage
| Dataset | Description | Approximate Count |
|---|---|---|
| Patents | Granted US patents | 8+ million |
| Assignees | Patent owners | 10+ million |
| Inventors | Named inventors | 20+ million |
| Claims | Patent claims | 100+ million |
| Citations | Patent-to-patent citations | 130+ million |
Patent Types
| Type | Prefix | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | (none) | Most common; covers new processes, machines, compositions |
| Design | D | Protects ornamental design of functional items |
| Plant | PP | Covers distinct new plant varieties |
| Reissue | RE | Corrected versions of previously issued patents |
Patent Numbers
US patents use several numbering formats:
- Utility:
7654321orUS7654321 - Design:
D654321orUSD654321 - Reissue:
RE50614orUSRE50614 - With Kind Code:
US7654321B2(B2 = second correction)
LawForge normalizes these formats automatically.
Citation Networks
Patents form citation networks similar to legal cases:
- Cited by - Later patents that reference this one (forward citations)
- Cites - Earlier patents this one references (backward citations)
Forward citations are often used as a measure of patent importance or influence.
Update Frequency
PatentsView data is updated quarterly. LawForge syncs with the latest available bulk data.
Limitations
- Only US patents (no international patents)
- Only granted patents (no pending applications)
- Patent applications (pre-grant) not included
- Full patent text not included (available via USPTO directly)