Expired patents are a treasure trove, and rational and effective use of expired patents is one of the important ways to innovate. How do we check expired patent information?

To confirm whether a patent has expired, you can search the legal status. Patent legal status search refers to the search for the current status of a patent or patent application. The purpose is to understand whether the patent application is authorized, whether the authorized patent is valid, whether the patentee has changed, and information related to the patent legal status. .

The methods to search the legal status of patents or patent applications are:

First, search the legal status of the patent through the Patent Register of the State Intellectual Property Office. The Patent Office establishes a patent register when it grants a patent. The content recorded in the patent register includes: the grant of patent rights, the right to apply for patents, the invalidation of patent rights, the termination of patent rights, the restoration of patent rights, the pledge, preservation and termination of patent rights, the filing of patent license contracts, Compulsory licensing for patent implementation. The matters registered in the Patent Register are stored in a computer database. When paper copies are required, they will be printed out by the computer and will take effect after being stamped with a special certificate seal.

The matters recorded in the patent register have legal effect and are protected by law. With the consent of the State Intellectual Property Office, anyone may inspect or copy the relevant contents in the patent register and request the State Intellectual Property Office to issue a copy of the patent register. It is possible to know whether a patent has expired based on what is recorded in the patent register. A fee shall be paid for requesting a copy of the patent register.

The second is to log in to the State Intellectual Property Office website (/) and use the "Legal Status Query" function to check whether the patent has expired. The legal status information mainly includes: the validity of the substantive examination request, the invalidation of the patent right, the termination of the patent right, the restoration of the right, the patent application right, the transfer of the patent right, the filing of the patent implementation license contract, the pledge, preservation and preservation of the patent right. Its cancellation, changes in description matters, notification matters, etc. However, there is a certain lag in retrieving system information. Real-time and accurate legal status information should be based on the content recorded in the patent register.

The third is to check whether the patent has expired in the China Expired Patent Database officially issued by the Intellectual Property Publishing House.