Build correct patent references for USPTO, EPO and WIPO patents from inventor, number and date. Free, no sign-up.
What this tool does
Patent citations fail when the office, number and kind code get mixed up. A US patent number is not the same as a publication number, and a WIPO number starts with WO. This tool takes the inventor, patent title, office, number and dates and returns the reference in the standard office order, with a note explaining which number you used, so a reader can pull the exact document from the right register.
Why it matters
Good citations do quiet work. They let a reader find every source you used, they show that your argument rests on real evidence rather than memory, and they protect you: a clean reference list is much harder to challenge than a vague one. Most marks lost on referencing are not lost on difficult sources. They are lost on small, repeated slips — a missing year, a swapped initial, a title in the wrong case — that a quick tool pass catches before submission.
How to use it
- Choose the patent office: USPTO, EPO or WIPO.
- Enter inventor, title, patent number and grant date.
- Copy the formatted patent reference.
Worked example
US Patent No. 10,123,456, ‘Water filtration device,’ inventor R. Patel, granted 12 March 2024: the tool returns ‘Patel, R. (2024). Water filtration device. U.S. Patent No. 10,123,456. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.’ with the office spelled out.
Tips for good results
Cite the granted patent number, not the application number, unless you are specifically discussing the application.
Work from the source itself, not from another paper’s copy of it. And keep one style for the whole list: a single mixed entry undermines an otherwise perfect bibliography.
Honest limits
Office formats vary and kind codes (A1, B2) matter for exact identification. This tool uses the common inventor-year-title-office-number form and does not verify numbers against patent registers. Check the register entry before citing in a filing.
Common mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes to avoid: copying a reference from another paper without checking it against the original, trusting a PDF filename for the title or year, and mixing two styles in one list. Each of these looks harmless alone and careless together. Run the tool, read its output once, and compare it with the source itself before you paste it into your document.
Before you submit
Run through this short check before you submit: is every author name spelled as it appears on the source, is every year present and correct, and does every in-text citation have a matching entry in your reference list? Read the list once from top to bottom rather than skimming it. Most referencing errors are found in that single slow read, and fixing them there is far cheaper than fixing them after a reviewer finds them. If one entry still looks odd after that read, check it against the original source before you change anything else.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool really free?
Yes. It runs in your browser on this page, with no account and no payment. Nothing you paste leaves your computer.
Do I still need to check the result?
Yes, once. Tools apply rules; they cannot verify facts about your source. Compare the output with the source itself before submitting.
Can I use the output in my paper?
Yes. The output is a formatted reference or analysis for your own work. Keep the source’s facts accurate and the formatting consistent across your list.
What if the tool’s output differs from my style guide?
Trust the style guide. Tools encode the common rules of a style; your university or journal’s own sheet wins every disagreement. Use the tool to do the routine work, then apply the local rule where it differs.
Also available in Spanish: Indexador de Citas de Patentes – Formatea Referencias de Patentes USPTO, EPO y WIPO Gratis.