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(This page's most recent update is May 2026)
Get all free genealogy resources for your state, organized and ready to use — The Research Library
Was your ancestor an inventor? Did they apply for and receive a patent? There are several databases you can search. Google Patents is the most well-known, but there are four others you might want to try out. All are free to search.
I knew that my Dad had several patents and that his grandfather possibly held one or two. So a few years ago I started searching and found two additional ancestors that had filed for and gotten approved for a few more patents. I would suggest that you search these five free databases that have patent documents from all over the world. You just might be surprised!
Download the Quicksheet PDF
To obtain the one-page Quick Sheet pdf for easy reference of where to search for patent documents, you can download it by clicking on the Download button below:
For all the previously published Quick Reference Guides, click on QuickSheets.
If you use Quicksheets often, the Quicksheet Vault puts 390+ of them in one organized place — clean, printable, and easy to reuse whenever you need them. Whether you keep digital references handy or build your own genealogy binder, the Vault makes research simpler. Learn more about the Quicksheet Vault HERE