The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has recently announced the launch of its new ‘One IPO Search’ tool to search UK patents (and applications) and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs).
The tool provides a vast improvement compared to the previously available Ipsum register. To find details of UK patents using Ipsum required the searcher to know either the publication number or the application number. Sometimes these details could be pieced together from the UK Patents Journal or Espacenet, but it could be awkward to find a UK patent if you didn’t know these details.
Using the One IPO Search, UK patents can be searched by proprietor name, inventor name, representation, keywords and/or classification. Furthermore, the search results can be refined by key dates, status, and whether licences of right are available and/or the patent application was accelerated under the green channel. Similar options are also available for searching SPCs.
This new tool allows search results to be viewed as charts to see the number of applications filed per year or for each applicant. Search results can also be downloaded as a .csv file for further handling and analysis.
The UK IPO has plans to further improve this new tool in the near future, including to allow users to:
– Save searches to be re-run in the future
– Monitor the status of patents
– Search for UK trade marks and UK registered designs
The UK IPO has produced two YouTube videos to exhibit the look and functionality this new tool:
– Introducing our new patent search tool: One IPO Search
– One IPO Patent Search Tool Tutorial
The register also provides an updated view for the register of UK patents. This provides similar information to the Ipsum service, but in a more modern format. In addition, the UK IPO has updated the UK Patents Journal to also make searching this easier than before.
If you would like to discuss how to apply or search for a patent, please contact the author or visit our patent services page on our website.
“One IPO Search provides a vast improvement compared to the previously available Ipsum register”
