What services does STIC offer for foreign patent documents?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

STIC offers comprehensive services for foreign patent documents through its Foreign Patents Service Center. These services include:

• Online patent family searches
• Identification of English-language or preferred-language equivalents
• Determination of priority dates and publication dates
• Searches by inventor name or abstract number
• Patent family and bibliographic document retrieval searches
• Foreign classification information

According to MPEP 901.06(a):

“The USPTO receives foreign patent documents through exchange agreements with almost all countries that print or otherwise publish their patent documents. This makes STIC’s collection of foreign patent documents the most comprehensive in the United States.“

STIC staff can assist examiners with difficult document retrieval searches and provide training in using foreign patent resources.