Patents: Referencing patents

Referencing patents in your assignments

If you use patents in your assignments then you'll need to reference them! The below examples are created with the help of Cite them Right - a great resource for referencing hints and tips full of lots of examples in all the major referencing styles.

Where to find the information for your reference

The main information you need can usually be found on the front page of the patent. The main information you need is:

  • Title of the patent
  • Inventors listed on the patent
  • The patent authority
  • the patent number
  • Date patent was granted

Citation example

Sign language recognition is now possible thanks to the likes of Browy, Woods and Rabinovich (2023) who have invented a system…


Reference example

In the Harvard style of referencing this is the format you use:
Surname, Initial. (Year of publication) Title. Authorising organisation Patent no. Patent number. Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date).

Browy, E., Woods, M. J., and Rabinovich, A. (2023) Systems and methods for sign language recognition. United States Patent Office Patent no. US11747618B2. Available at: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/79/d2/33/015ba852502959/US11747618.pdf (Accessed: 10 March 2025).

Citation example

Sign language recognition is now possible thanks to the likes of Browy, Woods and Rabinovich [2] who have invented a system…

 

Reference example

In the IEEE style of referencing this is the format you use:

[reference
number]		 Name of the invention, by inventor’s name. (year, month day). Patent Number [Type of medium]. Available: site/path/file

 

[2] System and method for sign language recognition, by E. Browy, M. J. Woods, and A. Rabinovich. (1993, Sep. 5) U.S. Patent US11747618B2 [Online]. Available: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/79/d2/33/015ba852502959/US11747618.pdf