U.S. Cycle Patents: Home

Utility patents are a rich source for the studying the history of technological innovation.  Design patents cover appearance rather than function.  Both utility and design patents describe historical innovations in detail, and include drawings which are not subject to the usual copyright restrictions.  

This guide is intended as a beginner's guide to patent searching and will provide an introduction to United States patents, with the possibility of adding instructions on searching ESpaceNet (worldwide patents) in the future.

This website was made to accompany a Cycle History Research Online presentation at the 2022 International Cycle History Conference.