Key Takeaways

  • Vintage patents refer to expired or abandoned patents that are now part of the public domain, allowing free use by the public.
  • Patents usually expire 20 years after filing, or earlier if maintenance fees are not paid.
  • The USPTO, Google Patents, and Public PAIR databases are primary tools for locating old or vintage patents.
  • Expired or abandoned patents can be used for innovation, education, and business development without infringement risks.
  • Some vintage patents can be purchased or repurposed if they were abandoned but not yet publicly released.
  • Always verify that a patent has fully expired or been abandoned before using or commercializing it.

Old Patents

When old patents expire, they typically become open for the public to use. Generally, the expiration date on a patent is twenty years from the filing date. Thus, any patent that is older than 20 years is available to the public to use for free without violating a patent right.

An abandoned patent is one that an inventor simply gives up during the patent process or fails to continue paying any associated fees.

What Are Vintage Patents?

Vintage patents are expired or abandoned patents that no longer provide exclusive rights to their inventors, meaning they are available for public use. Typically, patents expire 20 years after filing or when the owner fails to pay required maintenance fees. Once expired, these innovations enter the public domain, allowing individuals and companies to reproduce, modify, or build upon them freely.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) maintains records of such patents, and these “vintage” works serve as valuable inspiration for inventors, engineers, and designers. Many older patents—ranging from early machinery designs to 19th-century consumer products—showcase historical ingenuity and can be repurposed or updated for modern applications.

Using vintage patents can benefit:

  • Inventors, who can build upon proven ideas without infringement.
  • Researchers, studying technological evolution and innovation trends.
  • Businesses, identifying products that can be reintroduced to modern markets.

How to Search for Old or Abandoned Patents

If you are interested in finding patents that are either old or abandoned, there are a few things you should do:

  • Conduct a patent search relevant to your invention or product. Free search engines include Google Patents Advanced Search, which allows you to search for patents that are more than twenty years old. If you find a patent you are looking for, make sure to write down the patent number and any other relevant information.
  • Alternatively, you can search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Public Pair website. On this page, you can either search by a specific patent number or, if it’s a patent application, by publication number.
  • Browse the patent status section to see if a certain patent is listed as “patented.” This means that it is currently active and not available for free public use. However, if it is listed as “expired” or “abandoned,” then it is free to use without violating any patent rights.

Old and abandoned patents are a great way for an inventor to reference previous research and designs to try and make improvements upon them. This type of model incentivizes creativity and innovation and has led to many subsequent patents that further the economy. It is important to note that even if a patent is abandoned or expired, you should always consult a patent attorney to be sure that the original owner did not file a related patent that would preclude you from using the old or abandoned patent.

Tools and Databases for Finding Vintage Patents

There are several reliable databases to locate vintage patents:

  1. USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT) – The official U.S. database containing all patents since 1790. It allows users to search by patent number, inventor, keyword, or classification.
  2. Google Patents – A user-friendly search engine that integrates USPTO and international patent data. You can filter results to show only patents older than 20 years or marked as expired.
  3. Public PAIR – The USPTO’s Public Patent Application Information Retrieval system displays patent application histories, including maintenance fee payment status and abandonment information.
  4. FreePatentsOnline and Espacenet – International databases for finding vintage or expired patents outside the United States.

When reviewing search results, look for designations such as “Expired,” “Lapsed,” or “Abandoned”, which confirm that a patent is no longer active and may be freely used. According to USPTO practice, nonpayment of maintenance fees or the passage of 20 years from the filing date generally causes expiration.

How to Obtain Old Patent Drawings

If you are interested in obtaining old patent drawings that are not available on the internet, a word of caution as you begin your search. There has recently been a worrisome trend in which antique dealers have been trying to sell old patent drawings at an unreasonable price, claiming that they are very rare pieces of history and hoping an unsuspecting buyer will take him or her at their word. Be aware of this, as most of the time it is merely a scam. If you can find an old patent drawing, it will typically be free.

Before you begin your search for old patent drawings, there are three questions you should ask yourself:

  • Do you have the actual patent number?
  • Was the patent filing date before 1971?
  • Do you have any idea about when the patented product was made?

If you know the specific patent number, it is very easy to find what you are looking for. There are many websites now that offer this type of information freely. Often, older products will have the actual patent number inscribed somewhere on them. This was mainly due to the intense competition and fierce desire to guard one’s own patent.

An unconventional place to search is on eBay. Typically, eBay will display a magnified version of the product to easily show the inscribed patent. This helps potential buyers know that what they are buying is authentic and can be a good place to search for old patents.

Historical and Commercial Value of Vintage Patents

Beyond legal access, vintage patents hold educational, collectible, and commercial value. Collectors often seek patent drawings for their historical significance, artistic merit, and insight into early innovation. Some sellers and museums display framed copies of vintage patent diagrams, particularly for iconic inventions like light bulbs, telephones, or typewriters.

From a business standpoint, companies and entrepreneurs can also use vintage patents to develop modern versions of old technologies. For instance, expired pharmaceutical or mechanical patents can be revived through improvements in materials, design, or efficiency. However, it’s crucial to perform a comprehensive search to ensure no related continuation patents or trade secrets still protect aspects of the original invention.

If you plan to reproduce or commercialize a product based on a vintage patent, consider consulting a patent attorney to verify that all associated rights have expired or been abandoned.

How to Find Old Patents with a Specific Patent Number

If you have the actual patent number of a product you are looking for, you can search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s website at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html.  From that page, you can click on the box under “query” and type in the patent number. For example, type in 1,869,447 or 1869447 and both will give you the same result. Once you find the patent document, you can save the patent drawing as a “.TIFF” file that allows you to print the image.

Buying and Reusing Expired Patents

While most expired patents enter the public domain automatically, there are circumstances where rights can still be purchased or licensed. For example, if a patent has lapsed due to nonpayment of fees but has not yet expired completely, the original owner may still have the option to reinstate it. In such cases, investors or companies may negotiate to buy the rights before the patent officially expires.

To buy a vintage patent:

  1. Identify the patent number and confirm its expiration status using the USPTO database.
  2. Contact the last recorded owner or their legal representative to discuss transfer terms.
  3. File an assignment of ownership with the USPTO once a deal is reached.

Purchasing an old or abandoned patent can be a cost-effective way to acquire valuable intellectual property. However, prospective buyers should perform due diligence—including checking for overlapping patents, trademarks, or design rights—to avoid legal complications.

Why Vintage Patents Matter Today

Vintage patents are more than historical artifacts—they serve as a foundation for ongoing innovation. Many modern technologies, from smartphones to medical devices, evolved by improving upon expired patents. By studying these designs, inventors can avoid reinventing the wheel while finding ways to enhance existing ideas.

Additionally, educators and historians use vintage patents to teach innovation history, revealing how creativity evolved over time. These documents also inspire new generations of inventors to rethink how everyday problems were once solved with limited resources.

For creators, artists, and makers, vintage patents represent an open-source archive of ingenuity—a bridge between the industrial age and today’s innovation economy.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What qualifies as a vintage patent?
    A vintage patent is an expired or abandoned patent—usually more than 20 years old—that is now in the public domain and free to use.
  2. Can I legally use an idea from an expired patent?
    Yes. Once a patent expires, its protection ends, allowing anyone to reproduce, modify, or sell the invention without infringing.
  3. How do I verify that a patent has expired?
    Search the USPTO database or Public PAIR for the patent number and check its status. Look for designations like “Expired,” “Lapsed,” or “Abandoned.”
  4. Are vintage patents still valuable?
    Absolutely. They can be repurposed for new inventions, used as educational material, or even sold as collectible artwork.
  5. Can I buy an expired or abandoned patent?
    Yes, in some cases. If a patent was abandoned or not yet fully expired, you can negotiate with the owner to purchase or license it. Always confirm legal status before finalizing the transaction.

If you need help with searching for vintage patents, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel’s marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law, and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with, or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.