This page contains information on how to use the PTO Web Trademark Database Boolean Search Page.

The Boolean Search page allows you to search the PTO Web trademark database using a simple two-term Boolean search. There are 7 steps to using the Boolean search page:

1. Select which Database to search from the Select Database List.
   
2. Enter a term in the text entry box labeled Term 1.
3. Select which field to apply Term 1 to from the menu labeled Field 1 just below the Term 1 box.
4. Select a Boolean operator from the menu labeled Operator between the two text entry boxes.
5. Enter a term in the text entry box labeled Term 2
6. Select which field to apply Term 2 to from the menu labeled Field 2 just below the Term 2 box.
7. Hit the Search button.

Some things to note:

• If you want to search for a single term, skip steps 4-6.
• The search is case-insensitive. Searching for Mountain and searching for mountain will produce the same results.
• The Refine Query box uses the same search syntax as the Manual Search page. See the Manual Search Help page for help on using it. The refined search is automatically conducted in the same database as your original search.
• The Start At box allows you to enter a number to skip to in your search results list. For long search results lists, entering '250' in the Start At box is easier than hitting the 'Next 50 Hits' button 5 times.
• For some terms, you must specify the field to search in to get the hits you expect. For instance, if you're searching for trademarks filed on June 6, 1990, you must search for FD/6/6/1990 (or any other acceptable date format). Just searching for 6/6/1990 will not turn up hits in this field. If you are having difficulty searching for a specific field, please see the Help on Field Searching. page.

The Boolean Search page provides a simple interface to the database for two term searches only. The features available from the Boolean Search page are:

• simple Boolean expressions
• field searching
• phrase searching
• date range searching
• right truncation
• search statistics

Simple Boolean Expressions

You can use the Boolean search page to compose two-term Boolean queries with simple, easy-to-use tools. A Boolean search is one where you specify that a specific relationship must exist between the two terms you provide. You can specify that either both must be present (the AND operator) at least one must be present (the OR operator), the first must be present and the second not present (the ANDNOT operator). The following examples may help clarify.

Example 1

If you entered mountain in the Term 1 box, fresh in the Term 2 box and selected AND from the Operator menu, you'd receive back a list of all documents which contain both the words mountain and fresh somewhere in the document.

Example 2

If you entered automobile in the Term 1 box, car in the Term 2 box and selected OR from the Operator menu, you'd receive back a list of all documents which contain either the word automobile or the word car somewhere in the document.

Example 3

If you entered house in the Term 1 box, home in the Term 2 box and selected ANDNOT in the Operator menu, you'd receive back a list of all documents which contain the word house but not the word home.

Note that you are not required to fill in the Term 2 box. If the box is left empty, the search will proceed using the single term provided. Using this feature in conjunction with Field Searching provides a simple way to search only in specific fields within each document.

Field Searching

The Boolean Search page allows you to search within the individual fields found within the trademarks. You can find a list of all indexed fields in the menu below the Term 1 and Term 2 text entry boxes.

To narrow your search to hits occurring within a single field, just select which field you wish to search from the appropriate Field menu. If you don't select a field, the search will default to Mark Search. If you need help searching in a particular field, see the Help on Field Searching page.

Example 1

To search for a mark which is owned by a company with Simpson in its name, and which relates surfing, enter Simpson in the Term 1 box, surf* in the Term 2 box, and select AND from the Operator menu. Then, select Owner Name from the Field 1 menu below the Term 1 box, and Any Field from the Field 2 menu below the Term 2 box (since you are not sure which field surf* might appear in) and hit the Search button.

Phrase Searching

If you surround a group of words with quotation marks ("), everything within the quotation marks will be treated as a single search term. To search for the phrase "vacuum cleaner" rather than the terms "vacuum" or "cleaner", enter "vacuum cleaner" with the quotation marks.

Date Range Searching

You can specify a range of dates you are interested in searching in, rather than having to specify a certain day or month to narrow your search. This feature is only available in date fields, such as Filing Date, Registration Date, and Priority Date. This is done by using the -> operator between two dates.

Example

Term 1: 11/1/85->5/12/86, Field 1: Filing Date

This query would return all documents in the database which were filed any day on or after Nov. 1, 1985 and before or on May 12, 1986.

Both dates in your query must be properly formatted for your search to work. See the help entries on Filing Date, Registration Date and Priority Date and other date fields for details.

Right Truncation

The Boolean Search page supports right truncation in queries. This allows you to use a wildcard on the right side of a search term to match words that start with a certain string.

Example

If you search for tele*, you will retrieve all documents containing words starting with "tele". Words like television, telephone and telecommunications would all match.

Search Statistics

Detailed information about your results are available by clicking on the Search Summary link at the top of each search results page. This will show how many times each of your terms occurred in how many documents, and the intermediate results of applying all of your specified Boolean operators. Also, the total time required to conduct the search is listed. This information should assist you in refining your search.