In PatSnap, you can filter by various different legal statuses/events to make sure you can see the right data.
PatSnap covers all the many different legal statuses/events, which you can also use to refine your search and make sure you see the data you are looking for.
Simple Legal Status
In PatSnap, when using the Field search, you are able to search by simple legal status. To do this, type SIMPLE_LEGAL_STATUS: followed by one of the numbers in the list given below, where the simple legal status corresponding to these numbers and an explanation of each simple legal status is given.
| No. | Simple Legal Status | Explanation |
| 0 | Inactive | Patent is inactive for various reasons. |
| 1 | Active | Patent is currently active. |
| 2 | Pending | The application is published or under examination prior to the patent being issued or the application abandoned. |
| 220 |
PCT Designated Stage expired |
Deadline for entering the national phase of the designated countries has been exceeded. |
| 221 |
PCT Designated Stage |
Within the deadline for entering the national phase. |
| 999 | Undetermined | Patents that we have yet to confirm the legal status for. |
Legal Status
In Field search, you are also able to search by legal status. To do this, type LEGAL_STATUS: followed by one of the numbers in the list given below, where the legal status corresponding to these numbers and an explanation of each legal status is given.
| No. | Legal status | Explanation |
| 1 | Published | An application was published. It is not a granted patent and it does not necessarily mean that the application will result in a patent. |
| 2 | Examining | A patent application has entered the search and examination phases. |
| 3 | Granted | An application becomes a granted patent/patent in force. |
| 8 | Double | Abandonment of patent right or utility model to avoid double patenting. |
| 11 | Withdrawn | An application open to public inspection was withdrawn at the request of the applicant. |
| 13 | Rejected | An application is rejected by the examiner. |
| 14 | Revoked | Whole invalidation of a patent. A member of the public can question the validity of the patent on various grounds. |
| 15 | Expired | Patent term expired. |
| 16 | Non-payment | Non-payment of annual maintenance fees resulting in the invalidation of the patent. |
| 21 | Restoration | Where a time limit prescribed in the Patent Law is not observed by the patentee because of force majeure, resulting in loss of their rights, they may within a specified time limit, request the Patent Office to restore their rights. |
| 22 | Ceased | A patent has run it's full term or ceased due to reasons which were not disclosed. |
| 23 | P-Revoked | Part of claims are declared invalid through invalidation procedure. |
| 24 | Discontinuation | Patent application process has been discontinued before grant. |
| 30 | Abandoned | Patent right is abandoned. |
| 222 | Non-Entry PCT-NP (In time limit) |
A PCT application has been published. Has not yet entered the national phase with the individual patent offices. |
| 223 | PCT-NP (In time limit) | Patent application has entered national phase procedures with the individual patent offices and is within the designated time period. |
| 224 | PCT-NP (Past time limit) | Patent application has entered national phase procedures with the individual patent offices and has exceeded the designated time period. |
| 225 | Non-Entry PCT-NP | Has not entered national phase in any country and has exceeded the designated time period. |
Legal Event
In Field search, you are also able to search by legal event. To do this, type LEGAL_EVENT: followed by one of the numbers in the list given below where the legal event corresponding to these numbers and an explanation of each legal event is given.
| No. | Legal event | Explanation |
| 61 | Transfer | Change in applicant/owner. |
| 62 | License | Exploitation case against a patent license contract submitted for record. |
| 63 | Pledge | A patent pledge agreement has been registered. This can be thought of like a mortgage for a house. |
| 64 | Trust | An entrustment of a patent from its owner to a trust company where the trust company finds a license destination of the patent and obtains income. Within our database, this is only the case in Japan and Taiwan. |
| 65 | Opposition | A third party initiated an opposition proceeding to challenge the validity of a pending patent application or granted patent. |
| 66 | Re-examination | A third party or inventor has had a patent re-examined to verify that it is actually patentable. |
| 69 | Customs | Intellectual property rights holders apply to the Customs for the intellectual property rights protection in order to obtain the protection of customs intellectual property rights (including patent rights, trademark rights, etc.) |
| 70 | Litigation | A patent has been involved in a litigation case during its lifetime. |
| 71 | Preservation | In the trial of civil cases, the court ruled on the preservation of patent rights, thereby "freezing" relevant patent rights, so that the rights holders can not perform the rights of abandonment, transfer, license, etc. |
| 72 | Invalid-procedure | The patent invalidation procedure is applied for by a third-party and then examined by the Patent Reexamination Board, to make a final decision on the granted patents which is either partial invalidation, invalidation or to maintain the patent right. |
| 73 | Oral-procedure | In the invalidation or reexamination procedure, relevant parties may request for an oral hearing examination, but oral hearing examination is not a necessary process for invalidation or reexamination. |
| 74 | Declassification |
Declassified national defense patent, where this is a patent whose technologies are developed with national security in mind. |
| 75 | Dual filing |
When an applicant files for a utility model and invention patent on the same day. |
You can also gain insights on the legal background of a patent.
Open a patent by clicking either on the Publication Number or on the Title.
From the "Legal" tab, you have access to the below info.
You can find more information about this option here: What Are The Different Legal Options When Viewing A Patent?