US patent search by assignee, answered
A US patent search by assignee finds every patent recorded to an owner, and a search by patent number finds the owner of one patent. Assignee does both from public USPTO assignment records. These are the questions people ask most before they start.
Search and data
How do I search US patents by assignee?
Type a company name into the patent assignee search. Assignee groups the spellings, former names and merged entities that point to the same owner and lists every patent recorded to them, with the date and document of each transfer.
How do I find who owns a specific US patent?
Enter the patent number, publication number or application number in the search on the home page. Assignee shows the current owner of record, the date the last transfer was recorded and the full patent ownership search history behind it.
Is this the same data as the USPTO?
Yes. Assignee uses the assignment records the USPTO publishes for every patent and application. We read the same conveyances, link them in order and show them as one chain of title, with the reel and frame of each document so you can open the original.
How current is the ownership?
Ownership is shown as of the latest document recorded at the USPTO. An assignment that was signed but never recorded does not appear in any public register, and the report says so plainly.
What is the difference between the assignee on the patent and the owner today?
The assignee printed on the face of a patent is the owner named when the patent issued. Patents are sold, merged and pledged after grant, so the owner today is often someone else. Assignee follows the recorded documents after grant to show the current owner of record.
What is a reel and frame number?
The USPTO gives every recorded assignment document a reel and frame number. It is the address of the document in the register. Assignee shows it next to each step in the chain so you can open and cite the original.
Do you cover patents outside the US?
Assignee covers US patents and US applications recorded at the USPTO. Foreign family members are outside the register we read.
Do you cover trademarks?
No. Assignee is built for patents and patent applications.
Reports and title risk flags
What is a chain of title report?
It is the full ownership history of one patent: every recorded assignment, name change, merger, security interest and release, in date order, with the parties, dates and reel and frame of each document, plus title risk flags. Every plan shows security interest documents in the chain; release status tracking and title risk flags come with the Professional plan and above. You can export it as a PDF or CSV.
What do the title risk flags check?
They check for inventors without a recorded assignment, security interests without a recorded release, name changes or mergers without a recorded transfer, and gaps where the next assignor is not the previous assignee.
Can I rely on it for litigation or a closing?
Assignee gives you a documented starting point. Every entry links to its recorded document, so your attorney can verify each step. The report is not legal advice and does not replace a title opinion.
Can I monitor patents I do not own?
Yes. You can monitor any US patent, such as a licensor's patents, a competitor's portfolio or a target in a transaction. You receive an email when a new assignment or security interest is recorded against it.
Account and privacy
Who sees my searches?
Only your account and the teammates you invite. We do not sell or share the patents you search or monitor.
Can my team share matters, and do you support SSO and annual invoicing?
Professional and Firm plans include shared matter folders. Firm adds roles and permissions. Enterprise adds SSO with SAML, an audit log and annual invoicing.
Is there an API?
Yes. The Firm plan includes API access to owner lookup, chain of title and monitoring. Enterprise adds dedicated API limits.
How do I delete my account and data?
Delete your account from your settings or write to support@assignee.io. We remove your account data, saved matters and monitoring lists.
Billing
How much does Assignee cost?
Plans start at $49 per month billed yearly, or $99 billed monthly. See every plan on the patent search software pricing page.
Can I try it before I pay?
Yes. Run one report from the search on the home page, without an account and without a card.
How do I cancel?
Cancel any time from your account settings. Your plan stays active until the end of the period you paid for.
Who do I contact with a question?
Write to support@assignee.io. A person reads every message.