Guide to finding patents, based on the collections of the State Library of Victoria
From 1854 to 1856 there were 29 patent applications, and each of these was allocated a Register General’s Office (RGO) number. This is the patent number.
From 1857 to 1866 each patent application was allocated a Register General’s Office (RGO) number and a Chief Secretary’s Office (CSO) number. The CSO number is the patent number.
From 1867 to 1904, each patent application was allocated a patent number only.
Do you know?
If you know the number of the patent and the year, you can order the patent from the Victorian patents collection or ask a librarian to do this for you.
If you don't know the number of the patent or the year, search the microfiche indexes first, or use our Online Inquiry Form to ask a librarian.
You can also search the Victorian government gazette online (see details below).
These two series are held at MF 367. You can make a request on our Online Inquiry form or request the microfiche yourself - see the heading 'Requesting a microfiche patent' below.
Note: there is a gap in holdings between 1890 and 1893. Our Series 1 patent holdings end at patent 7542 (1890) and our Series 2 patent holdings commence at patent 10302 (1893). See the Locations tab under the catalogue record for further details on our holdings.
Patents numbers 3601 to 3650 are also missing.
The National Archives https://www.naa.gov.au/ also has Victorian patents, which you can request online. See the National Archives heading x on this page for details.
Reprint of Victorian patent specifications originally published 1854-1888. This is a print edition, published in the early twentieth century.
The patents indexes for the years 1854 to 1904 are held in several locations: in a folder containing microfiche in the Redmond Barry Reading Room at R 608 V66 PI; in drawers at GMF 105 Box 3 (in the Family History / Newspapers Reading Room) and also in storage at MF 367. (The MF 367 indexes are for staff access only).
The indexes give the patent number and the year, which you need to request the patent. Note that the early patents from 1854 to 1856 are listed on the indexes, but the full patents for those years have not been reproduced on microfilm. For these early patents, request the reprinted State specifications volumes held at PER 608 V66S.
The microfiche indexes from 1854 to 1866 include a subject index and a name index of applicants for patents.
The indexes from 1867 to 1893 include a subject index, a name index and a chronological and numerical index giving the patent number and details of patent.
The indexes from 1894 to 1904 are name indexes: extracts from the Victorian Government Gazettes.
The patents for the years 1857 to 1904 are held on microfiche at MF 367 and must be requested from the online library catalogue under the title Victorian patents for delivery by staff, or you can complete the Online Inquiry form. Give the patent number and the year when requesting the patent.
It is not essential to know the name of the inventor or the type of invention when ordering the patent.
If you have only the name of the inventor, and you believe the patent was registered in Victoria between 1854 and 1904, you can search the online Victoria Government Gazette Online Archive 1836-1997 . A search of the gazette gives you information such as the number of the patent, the name of the inventor, and brief details of the invention, but not the full patent specifications. Note that some entries in the gazette do not give the patent number, so you need to consult the index at MF367. See the box for Victoria Government Gazette Online Archive 1836-1997 on this page.
The patent number in the gazette has a reference to the Patent Office or the patent may be listed under the heading "Applications for patents for invention".
If a patent was registered in Victoria between 1854 and 1904 and you have the correct name of the patentee then you should find the gazetted notice from this search. This usually lists the patent number and the date.
Try this search example - find a patent by Robert Bell for a printing press in 1874, Victorian Patent Number 1863. Date:
Note when searching by name: a name search usually follows the format: surname plus initial: Bell r. or it may follow the format first name plus surname: Robert Bell. if you cannot find a name, try both formats.
Once you have the patent number and the year, you can order the microfiche (MF 367) of the relevant Victorian patent to view (and copy) in the Library. When ordering this item be sure to include the patent number and year. The patentee's name and title of patent is not necessary for orders.
If you have only the number of the patent, but you think the patent was registered in Victoria between 1854 and 1904, check the listing from the document Victorian Patent Numbers (in the box at right).
This helps you to confirm that the number may be a patent number, and the year that number was registered.
You can order the microfiche (MF 367) of the relevant Victorian patent to view (and copy) in the Library. When ordering this item be sure to include the patent number and year.
The best way to identify Victorian patents by subject is by searching the microfiche name and subject indexes to Victorian patents. The State Library's Victorian patent indexes cover 1854 to 1904, but the subject indexes cover only the years 1854 to 1893.
Victoria Government Gazette: You can also search for Victorian patent numbers on the Victoria Government Gazette Online Archive 1836-1997 - see the box at right of this page. This can be used to find the patent number, but not the full text of the patent.
It is recommended that you search the Victoria Government Gazette online archive website before you search Austlii. Austlii offers Boolean searches on subject keyword or the name of the inventor, which you may like to try, but its source is the Victoria Government Gazette.
Once you have the patent number and date, you can order the microfiche (MF 367) of the relevant Victorian patent to view (and copy) in the Library. When ordering this item be sure to include the patent number and year.
The State Library catalogue entry for these Victorian patents is listed under the title Victorian patents [microform] Under 'locations', select the option 'Request microfiche from onsite storage' MF 367.
Click on the Request link next to any of the available MF 367 barcodes.
In the Comment box, type in the patent number and year. Click on Send Request. The microfiche will be delivered to the Redmond Barry Reading Room delivery shelves.
State specifications 1854-1888
These are early twentieth century paper reprints of nineteenth century Victorian patents.
Searching the NAA website for patents
Go to the National Archives of Australia homepage. Hover your mouse over the heading 'Explore the Collection' and click on RecordSearch. You can do a Basic Search, using terms such as the surname of the inventor and the word patent. You can narrow by date.
Click on NameSearch to go to a search page where you can type in family name and given names. Select the category of records on the drop-down menu: Copyright, patents, trademarks. Select a year range and click search. If the patent you require is listed, click on Item title, then click on 'Request copy/ to order a digitised copy.
If a patent has already been digitised, a document icon will appear in the Digitised Item column.
Use the document above to confirm in what year a patent number appeared.
This will help when the only details you have are a number.
H.V. McKay, Victorian patent 4006 lodged 24 March 1885 (IP Australia)
Search the Victoria Government Gazette Online Archive 1836-1997 database.
Listed are patent numbers, dates of applications, names of applicants, titles of patents and brief details of the patent.
You can also search the Victoria government gazette, 1836 onwards, on the AustlII webpage. Find the gazette under the heading for Victoria, then Other Victorian materials. The gazette has advanced search options under the heading Database search and a name search. See the search suggestions on this page of our guide.
For the cumulative name and subject index 1854-1866 and the annual name, subject and geographical indexes 1867-1893, see the following item in the State Library catalogue:
This index includes:
Where to find these indexes:
Each year includes an alphabetical name index of applicants for patents; a subject index and a chronological and numerical index giving the patent number and details of the application.
Where to find these indexes
Open access microfiche version should be used.
Extracts from Victorian government gazette entries from 1894 to 1904. The only available indexes to Victorian patents for these years are the names of patents applicants recorded in the Victorian government gazettes. The number after each name refers to the page number in the gazette for that year. The gazette gives brief details for the patent application, including date and patent number.
