Patent Attorney and Founder
Hey everyone, first time posting here, so thanks in advance.
Quick question: I’ve been using Lens.org to search through patents. It’s a solid tool, free and paid versions, but I’ve hit a snag.
When trying to pull all the patents tied to a single company, things get messy. Big companies often file under different names, some use variations of their name, others use subsidiaries, or assign ownership to individuals. So when I search, I’m never sure I’m seeing the full picture.
It feels like there should be a better way to group all of a company’s patents in one place. If not, I’m open to building something that does it.
So here’s my actual question:
How do you accurately find all the patents owned by a large company?
Now, I’m not a professional patent researcher, but we’ve got a few on our team. Here’s what I’ve picked up:
- Google Patents is where I usually start. Clean interface, simple search.
- The USPTO Patent Center has gotten a lot better lately. It has an advanced search option and you can search by assignee, that’s key.
- “Assignee” is the legal owner of the patent. For big companies, that’s usually the business entity, not the inventor. Internal legal teams typically handle the transfer from individual to company.
So if you’re digging for a company’s full portfolio, start by searching the full legal name under assignee. That should cover most of it.
I don’t use Lens.org much, curious if anyone here does and has tips.
Matt, you ever mess with Lens?
“Only if I absolutely have to look at a patent… and even then, it’s straight to Google Patents.”
Same.