By Christopher P. Singer —

Internet heavyweight Google has recently launched Google Patent Search, a beta
version of a patent searching feature.  Currently, the search program covers issued
U.S. Patents from the 1790s through the middle of 2006.  As the company discusses on the FAQ page
relating to this service, it hopes to expand the program's search coverage to
include published applications, international patents, and recently issued U.S.
Patents in the coming months.

Google Patent Search allows for a either a full text or
advanced search strategy.  The full text
search is presented in the familiar Google search format, as are the search
results.  The search results link to
information-laden pages that include sections containing a patent summary,
claims, drawings, citations, and a feature that allows for searching within the
particular patent result.  The patent
summary section includes an image of the patent that has your original search
term(s) highlighted.  The advanced
strategy allows for searches by patent number, inventor name, title, assignee,
filing date, issue date, and U.S. and/or International classification.