How to Search the Canadian Patent Office Website

Every time I use the Canadian Patent Office website, I appreciate the ease at which you can access the information.  You can choose to do a basic search, advanced search, or number search.

This link takes you directly to the number search. Typically, I know the patent or application number I’m searching for, so this takes me directly to the matter I want.  In Canadian patent number formatting, unlike the United States formatting, the application number and patent number are the same, so pay close attention.  Canadian formatting uses a seven-digit number with commas.  If the number starts with the number 1 and has a recent filing date, more than likely, you have a design application.  The Canadian IP office also has design information but that will have to wait for another day.

Once you’ve reached the number search page, enter in your number, hit search, and the record will display on your screen. 

The record defaults to the Bibliographic Data tab which has a wealth of information including Title, Applicants, Agent, Issue Date (if applicable), PCT Date (if applicable), PCT, and priority information.  Having all this information on the first tab is incredibly useful, particularly when doing a large patent file opening or renewal matter upload.  While this bibliographic information is crucial, I personally use the Admin Status tab more.

The Admin Status tab gives us a summary of important dates including PCT filing date, local filing date, examination request date and a dead application date (if the application/patent is no longer active). The dead application date I’ve found to be helpful particularly when cases are transferred in and you are unsure of the status accuracy.

In my line of work for patent renewals, the Maintenance Fee and Payment History section are my life savers. The Maintenance Fee section displays the last payment date and amount. It also shows when the next annuity is coming due and corresponding amounts for small and standard entities. If you want to see payments in general, the Payment History section is very helpful for seeing all types of payments from maintenance fees to examination request fees.

If you are interested in obtaining documents relating to the prosecution, then the Documents tab is your best friend.  They provide a listing of all documents related to prosecution including the application as filed which is great when dealing with transferred files with no file history.  You can select as many documents as you want and download them into a zip file.  Alternatively, you can click on the document description to open the individual document to see if that is the relevant document needed.

Now you have a few hidden treasures on the Canadian patent office website!  I’m sure there are more so if you know of one I didn’t mention, please let us know or post on our LinkedIn page.  If you found this valuable, we have another post that focuses on the deadline for filing a divisional patent application in Canada.  Black Hills IP hopes this content becomes a continuous flow of information that the IP community can rely on and act on.  We are the leaders in smarter IP data docketing.