uspto.md
85 lines · skills/database-lookup/references/uspto.md at 5f2bc03
USPTO Public APIs
Raw lines 1 to 21. PatentsView → Open Data Portal (ODP)
Status (checked 2026-08-30): The PatentsView PatentSearch API that lived at https://search.patentsview.org/api/v1/ is unavailable. The host no longer resolves (NXDOMAIN). USPTO migrated PatentsView onto the Open Data Portal on 2026-03-20; PatentSearch and related interactive features are paused with no published relaunch date. Do not call search.patentsview.org, do not register at the old patentsview.org/apis/keyrequest flow, and do not treat legacy api.patentsview.org query URLs as live search endpoints (they redirect to the transition guide).
Current access path
Use ODP for PatentsView bulk datasets and data dictionaries:
- Transition guide: https://data.uspto.gov/support/transition-guide/patentsview
- PatentsView program page: https://www.uspto.gov/ip-policy/economic-research/patentsview
- ODP home / bulk directory: https://data.uspto.gov/
| Category | Example tables | ODP bulk dataset page |
|---|---|---|
| Granted patents — baseline / disambiguated | g_patent, g_cpc_current, g_assignee_disambiguated | https://data.uspto.gov/bulkdata/datasets/pvgpatdis |
| Granted patents — long text | g_brf_sum_text_*, g_claims_*, g_detail_desc_text_* | https://data.uspto.gov/bulkdata/datasets/pvgpattxt |
| Pre-grant publications — baseline / disambiguated | pg_published_application, pg_cpc_current | https://data.uspto.gov/bulkdata/datasets/pvpgpubdis |
| Pre-grant publications — long text | pg_brf_sum_text_*, pg_claims_* | https://data.uspto.gov/bulkdata/datasets/pvpgpubtxt |
| Sorted (beta) | g_sorted_applicant, pg_sorted_individual | https://data.uspto.gov/bulkdata/datasets/pvsorted |
| Annualized | yearly CSV tables | https://data.uspto.gov/bulkdata/datasets/pvannual |
Data dictionaries (when published) are linked from the “Documents and Resources” sidebar on each ODP dataset page above.
Raw lines 14 to 33Auth for ODP bulk / API access
ODP access requires a USPTO.gov account (MFA). Obtain an ODP API key from https://data.uspto.gov/apikey — previously issued PatentsView PatentSearch keys are not compatible. Prefer loading the key from .env as USPTO_ODP_API_KEY and sending it with the header ODP documents for its Bulk Datasets API (commonly X-API-KEY). Never print the key in provenance.
If the user needs interactive keyword / inventor / assignee search rather than bulk tables, say clearly that PatentSearch is paused during the ODP transition and point them at the transition guide — do not invent a replacement search URL.
Raw lines 34 to 46Historical note
- Legacy PatentsView REST host
api.patentsview.orgis decommissioned for search; requests redirect to the ODP transition guide. - The Elasticsearch PatentSearch base URL
https://search.patentsview.org/api/v1/must not be used until USPTO republishes an ODP-hosted replacement.
2. Patent File Wrapper (replacement for PEDS)
PEDS has migrated to ODP. Use the current transition guide and Patent File Wrapper search documentation. The search endpoint is https://api.uspto.gov/api/v1/patent/applications/search; obtain an ODP API key and use the current documented request schema. This is a patent-application/file-wrapper service, distinct from the paused PatentsView PatentSearch API. The former unauthenticated ped.uspto.gov/api/queries recipe is not a current integration. ODP's stated coverage begins in 2001, unlike PEDS. Authenticated calls were not executed in this review.
3. TSDR — Trademark Status & Document Retrieval
Use TSDR by application serial or registration number. The official TSDR FAQ now shows the API host https://tsdrapi.uspto.gov, for example /ts/cd/casestatus/sn78787878/content.html for an HTML status report.
TSDR API access is key-based, with a documented 60 requests/minute per key and 4 PDF/ZIP downloads/minute per key. Obtain the current key/header instructions from USPTO's ODP documentation before automating; the older Developer Hub links redirected during this review. The former no-key /documentxml/status/... recipe has been removed. Do not assume that the example HTML URL returns XML.
4. Limitations
- Use current USPTO Trademark Search for interactive trademark searching; TESS is retired.
- PatentsView PatentSearch API is paused during the ODP migration; use ODP bulk datasets for PatentsView tables until USPTO republishes search APIs
- PEDS has migrated to ODP Patent File Wrapper; authentication and coverage differ.
- TSDR requires knowing the serial/registration number already