USPTO Patent Search

Search and retrieve US patents using the PatentsView API from the USPTO. Query patents by keyword, assignee, inventor, date range, and CPC classification. The only patent search actor on Apify.

Features

• Search patents by keyword across titles and abstracts
• Filter by assignee organization name
• Filter by inventor last name
• Filter by patent grant date range
• Filter by CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) group
• Returns structured JSON with full patent metadata
• No authentication required — PatentsView is a free public API

Use Cases

• Prior Art Search: Patent attorneys can quickly find existing patents in a technology area before filing new applications.
• Competitive Intelligence: R&D teams can monitor what competitors are patenting by searching assignee names and technology keywords.
• VC Due Diligence: Investors can verify a startup's patent portfolio claims and check for competing IP in the same space.
• Technology Landscape Mapping: Identify dominant players, filing trends, and white spaces in any technology domain using CPC codes and keyword searches.
• Licensing Research: Find patents approaching expiration or identify licensing opportunities by searching specific technology areas and assignees.

Input

Field	Type	Description	Default
keyword	string	Required. Search keyword for title/abstract	—
assignee	string	Assignee organization name	—
inventorLast	string	Inventor last name	—
dateFrom	string	Start date (YYYY-MM-DD)	—
dateTo	string	End date (YYYY-MM-DD)	—
cpcGroup	string	CPC classification group ID (e.g. H01L)	—
limit	number	Maximum results to return	100

Output

Example result:

{
  "patent_number": "11890123",
  "title": "Method and system for adaptive neural network training using distributed computing",
  "abstract": "A method for training neural networks across distributed computing nodes using adaptive gradient synchronization techniques that reduce communication overhead while maintaining model accuracy...",
  "date": "2024-02-06",
  "type": "utility",
  "assignees": [
    "Google LLC",
    "DeepMind Technologies Limited"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    { "first": "James", "last": "Chen" },
    { "first": "Sarah", "last": "Williams" }
  ],
  "num_claims": 24
}

Field	Type	Description
patent_number	string	US patent number
title	string	Patent title
abstract	string	Full patent abstract text
date	string	Patent grant date (YYYY-MM-DD)
type	string	Patent type (utility, design, plant, reissue)
assignees	array	Array of assignee organization names
inventors	array	Array of {first, last} name objects
num_claims	number	Number of claims in the patent

Pricing

$3.00 per 1,000 results ($0.003 per result).

How It Works

This actor makes direct HTTP requests to the PatentsView API (api.patentsview.org), the USPTO's public patent data service. No authentication, no browser, no scraping. PatentsView aggregates all granted US patents and makes them queryable via structured API calls. The database updates weekly.

FAQ

What patents are covered? All USPTO-granted patents — utility, design, plant, and reissue patents. This covers US patents only, not international filings (no PCT or EPO data).

Do I need an API key? No. PatentsView is a free, open API. No registration or authentication required.

What is the maximum number of results? 1,000 per query. For broader searches, narrow your date range or use CPC classification codes to segment results.

How fresh is the data? PatentsView updates weekly, typically within a few days of patent grant publication (every Tuesday).

Limits & Rate Limits

• Maximum 1,000 results per query
• PatentsView recommends keeping request rates reasonable (no official hard limit, but throttling may occur above ~45 requests/minute)
• Very broad keyword searches (e.g. "machine") will hit the 1,000 result cap — use filters to narrow down
• Abstract text is limited to 100 words in search results; full abstracts may require follow-up queries