PatentsView: Driving Open Government Through Data

Bureaus within the Department of Commerce (DOC) create collaborative opportunities with other federal agencies and the public to foster an open government. Our open data initiatives help us make strides in this direction. For the last 225 years, data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has documented inventive ideas, and in turn has served as a source of continuing, follow-on innovation. This data has become a cornerstone of economic opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs, and a foundation of greater prosperity. Making USPTO data available is at the heart of USPTO and DOC efforts to provide transparency and synergy with the public we serve.

In collaboration with the Center for the Science of Science and Innovation Policy, the USPTO is launching a prototype web tool called PatentsView in September. Individuals will be able to explore nearly 40 years of data on patenting activity in the United States. Users can search data as far back as 1976 by patent titles and types, inventors, assignees, patent classes, locations, and dates. Each search includes graphic illustrations such as charts and maps. These data visualizations quickly reveal concentrations of patent activity and trends. Using the results, a previously unseen spider web of interconnected information can emerge.