Explanation of Chinese Patent Numbers and How to Search and Retrieve Chinese Patents 

1. China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) Patent Search and Analysis System

Website: CNIPA Patent Search and Analysis System

Steps:

  1. Visit the website above.
  2. Register an account (requires a Chinese mobile phone number and a Chinese resident ID).
  3. After logging in, go to the patent search section.
  4. Enter the patent number, application number, applicant name, or keywords to search.
  5. View the patent status, legal status, and other detailed information.

Note: This website is limited to Chinese residents; users from other countries cannot register.

2. China Patent Gazette

Website: China Patent Gazette

Steps:

  1. Visit the website above.
  2. Log in to your account (access is restricted to within China).
  3. Search by patent number or application number.

Note: The patent status information available on this site is very limited.

3. Global Dossier – United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Website: Global Dossier – USPTO

Steps:

  1. Visit the website above.
  2. Select “China” as the country.
  3. Enter the patent number or application number to search.

Note: This website may have significant delays in updates.

4. Espacenet

Website: Espacenet

Steps:

  1. Visit the website above.
  2. Select “Advanced Search.”
  3. Enter the Chinese patent number, keywords, or other search criteria.
  4. Use filters to refine the search results.
  5. View detailed patent information, including legal status and application history.

Note: This website usually has a delay of more than a month for updates.

5. WIPO PATENTSCOPE

Website: WIPO PATENTSCOPE

Steps:

  1. Visit the website above.
  2. Select the “National Collections” option.
  3. Choose “China” as the country.
  4. Enter the patent number, keywords, or applicant name to search.
  5. View detailed patent information.

Note: This website lacks patent status information.

6. Google Patents

Website: Google Patents

Steps:

  1. Visit the website above.
  2. Enter the Chinese patent number or relevant keywords in the search bar.
  3. Use filters to narrow down the search results.
  4. Click on the patent of interest to view detailed information, including legal status and citations.

Note: This website is convenient to access but lacks patent status information.

7. Contact Us for Free Inquiry

If you wish to quickly obtain patent status information, you can send the patent number to newcase@patent2cn.com, and we will conduct a free inquiry for you. Results will be returned within 24 hours.

Explanation of Various Chinese Patent Application Numbers

Application Number

A Chinese patent application number typically consists of 12 digits, with the following meanings:

  • First four digits: Indicate the year the patent application was accepted. For example, if the first four digits are 2023, it means the patent application was accepted in 2023.
  • Fifth digit: Indicates the type of patent application.
    • 1 for invention patent applications;
    • 2 for utility model patent applications;
    • 3 for design patent applications;
    • 8 for PCT invention patent applications entering the Chinese national phase;
    • 9 for PCT utility model patent applications entering the Chinese national phase.
  • Sixth to twelfth digits (7 digits): Application serial number, indicating the relative order in which the patent application was accepted for that type of patent in that year.

Example: For a patent application number CN202320233454.X, the interpretation is as follows:

  • CN: Country code, indicating the patent is Chinese.
  • 2023: Indicates the patent application was submitted in 2023.
  • 2: Indicates this is a utility model patent application.
  • 0233454: The serial number of utility model patent applications for that year.
  • .X: The final letter is a check code.

Publication Number

The publication number of a Chinese patent identifies the number assigned to the patent application when it is published in the official journal. A typical Chinese patent publication number consists of:

  • Country code: Usually starts with CN, indicating China.
  • Type code: A number following the country code, used to distinguish the type of patent.
    • 1 for invention patent applications;
    • 2 for utility model patents (though this may not be used in the publication number);
    • 3 for design patents (also may not be used in the publication number).
  • Serial number: Indicates the sequence of the patent application within that type.
  • Identifier code: The final character, usually a letter, used to distinguish different publication stages or document types.
    • A usually indicates the initial examination publication of an invention patent;
    • B may be used for the grant announcement of an invention patent (though it is more common to use the grant publication number);
    • U or Y used occasionally under old rules for utility model patents, but now more commonly directly using the publication number;
    • D or S previously used for design patents, noting that D corresponds to pre-2004 rules, and these patents may now be expired due to the 10-year design protection period.

Example: For a publication number CN102345678A, the interpretation is as follows:

  • CN: Indicates China.
  • 1: Indicates this is a publication of an invention patent application.
  • 02345678: The serial number within the sequence of invention patent applications.
  • A: Indicates this is an initial examination publication document of an invention patent.

Patent Number

The Chinese patent grant number, also known as the patent number, is assigned after a patent application has been examined and granted patent rights.

Example: For a patent application number 202310234567.8, once the patent application is granted, the patent number would become ZL202310234567.8.

Using the methods above, you can search and retrieve the status and detailed information of Chinese patents for free.