Add search operators to your search terms for a more targeted search or to search for terms with similar spellings. You can also restrict your search to individual fields. All search operators can be used in combination with each other.

Please note that some of the following examples of search results are from the trade mark database. The databases work in the same way, however.

• Restrict your search with AND or NOT

• Search for exact word sequences with " "

• Search for terms with variable characters with * and ?

• Search for similar terms with ~

• Search within ranges with [TO]

• Search in specific fields

If you search for several terms in the patent database, these will be connected by OR by default. Each result will contain at least one of these search terms.

If you combine search terms by using AND (or and), you will find all IP rights that contain these terms. You can also place a plus sign (+) before compulsory search terms.

If you want to exclude search results containing specific terms, please combine the terms to be excluded by using NOT (or not) or by placing a minus sign in front of them.

If you want to search for exact word/character sequences, place them in double quotation marks (e.g. "for you"). You will only obtain search results in which the word sequences exactly match what you entered.

You can use placeholders to search for terms with variable characters. For example, a word with various endings (table, tables, tablecloth) or words with different spellings (colour, color). You can position the placeholders at the start, the end, or the middle of a word or in several positions in a word.

The options are:

• ? for exactly one character
• * for any number of characters (including zero)

Place a tilde symbol (~) at the end of a word to perform a fuzzy search, in other words, to search for similar terms. You will find character sequences that vary from your term by up to two operations (insertion, deletion or substitution of a letter).
 
Example: a search for spot~ will find spit (o is replaced by i – varies by one operation) and pet (s deleted and o is replaced by e – varies by two operations).  
 
Use ~1 to allow terms to only differ by one operation (insertion, deletion or substitution of a letter) – and thus to obtain fewer results.  
 
Keyboard shortcuts for the tilde symbol: for Windows: Alt Gr and ^, for Mac OS: Alt and N, for Linux: Alt Gr and +, each followed by a space.

You can use [TO] to search within a range, for example, within a number series.

By default, various fields are searched, including all titles, patent and application numbers and the addresses of all owners, inventors and representatives. For example, if you search for motor, you will find all IP rights that contain motor in the title, as well as all IP rights belonging to the owner Ford Motor Company.
 
For a more targeted search, you can restrict it to single fields by using the advanced search. Alternatively, you can enter the names of the fields in the search box or refine the search via the results list.

The following fields are available:

You can also input the fields you want to search directly in the search box. To do so, add the field name as a prefix before the search term, e.g. patentno:CH694783, owner:"Peter Meyer" or title:motor.
  

The field search can also be combined with search operators such as placeholders or AND or NOT connectors.

Examples:

• The search function
• Filters
• Search results
• Detailed results view
• Glossary