Canadian patents, 1869-1919

Canada’s Patent Act came into force in 1869. Patents give inventors exclusive rights to make, buy, or sell their inventions for a certain period. This collection indexes patents issued to Canadian citizens or residents from the start of the Patent Act to just after the First World War. LAC also holds patents from before and after this period, up to 1990.

On this page

• Search tips
• About the records
• Other places to look
• Access the records
• Related links

Search tips

• Patent title
  • Try variations of keywords. Titles didn’t always describe the patent perfectly. For example, a mouse trap could be listed under "animal trap," "vermin trap," or just "trap."
• Name of patent holder
  • A patent holder can be a person or a company.
  • Try searching by surname only (e.g., “Butcher”). Inventors were identified by their surnames with initials for the first name.
• Patent number
  • Since many patents have similar titles like "mousetraps", use the patent number to tell them apart.
  • The first patent under the Patent Act of 1869 was issued on August 18, 1869. This collection covers patents 1 to 195676.
• Country, province or city
  • Try searching by place of residence for the patent holder.

About the records

The Patent Act of 1869 applied only to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario. It stated that the Patent Office would continue to be a branch of the Department of Agriculture (SC 1869, c 11). In 1906, under the Revised Statutes of Canada, there was a consolidation of the Act, with amendments (RSC 1906, c 69). In 1918, the Department of Trade and Commerce assumed jurisdiction of the Patent Office as well as the Industrial Design Branch, the Copyright Branch, the Trademark Branch, and Timber Marks.

This collection provides information on 200,000 patents issued from 1869 to 1919. RG105, BAN 2013-00241-6 holds 40,000 of these records. Finding aid 105-8 is an unverified file list including box number, patent number, and English and French titles of the patents.

For patents held by Canadian citizens and residents (about 40,000), there are digitized images attached. For patents issued to non-Canadians and non-residents, there are no images and limited information is available.

Original documents were microfilmed in the 1960s. The quality of the images is dependent on the quality of the microfilm.

We don’t hold any applications for patents that were not granted.

Other places to look

This database includes patents from 1869 to 1919, but LAC also holds patents and reference information from before and after that period.

Archival lists and indexes of patents

Pre-1869

• Patent of invention application files from Upper and Lower Canada and Province of Canada (Canada West and Canada East)
• Pre-Confederation patents
• Patent of invention application files from Nova Scotia Patent Office (pre-Confederation)
• Patent of invention application files from New Brunswick Patent Office (pre-Confederation)
• Newfoundland Patents—pre-Confederation

Post-1919

• Patent Branch

Published lists and indexes of patents

These resources can help you find a patent number to search the database. They sometimes provide a more complete description of the patent. Online versions can usually be searched by using CTRL-F or the search function provided by the host platform.

1824–1869

• Canada. Patent Office. 1860. Patents of Canada, from 1824 to 1849. [Toronto?: n.p.]. (Online version: Canadiana.)
  • Listed by patent number.
  • Also includes name and residence of patentee; description of patent; place and date of registration; drawings for select patents.
  • Indexed by patentee and title.
• Canada. Patent Office. 1882, reprint 1979. List of Canadian patents, from the beginning of the Patent Office, June, 1824, to the 31st of August, 1872. [Ottawa: Gordon Publications and Reproductions.] (Online versions of 1882 edition: Canadiana; Internet Archive; HathiTrust.)
  • Also known as the “blue book.”
  • Only complete list of patents from 1824 to 1872.
  • Listed by patent number.
  • Also includes name and residence of patentee; abstract of patent; place and date of registration. No drawings.
  • An index to this list was created by Gordon G. Phillips in 1983. Index of inventors and inventions for Canadian patents, 1824 to 1872. [Ottawa: Gordon Publications and Reproductions.]
• Phillips, Gordon G. 1980. Patents of Nova Scotia: Pre-Confederation, 1834 to 1869. [Ottawa: Gordon Publications and Reproductions.]
• Canada. Patent Office. 1865. Patents of Canada from 1849 to 1855. [Toronto?: n.p.]. (Online version: Canadiana.)
  • Listed by patent number.
  • Also includes name and residence of patentee; description of patent; place and date of registration; illustrations for select patents.
  • Indexed by patentee and title.
• Year-Book and Almanac of British North America for 1867… 1866. [Montréal: Lowe & Chamberlin.] (Online versions: Statistics Canada; GoC Publications; Canadiana; Internet Archive.)
  • Covers 1865 to 1866.
  • Organized by province, then patent subject.
  • Includes name and residence of patentee; title of patent. No drawings.
• The Year Book and Almanac of Canada for 1868… 1867. [Montréal: John Lowe & Co.] (Online versions: Statistics Canada; GoC Publications; Internet Archive.)
  • Covers 1866 to 1867.
  • Organized by province, then alphabetically by patentee.
  • Includes name and residence of patentee; title of patent. No drawings.

1869–2024

• Canada. Patent Office. 1882, reprint 1979. List of Canadian patents, from the beginning of the Patent Office, June, 1824, to the 31st of August, 1872. [Ottawa: Gordon Publications and Reproductions.] (Online versions of 1882 edition: Canadiana; Internet Archive; HathiTrust.)
• Canada Patent Office. 1873–1960. The Canadian Patent Office Record. [Montréal: G.E. Desbarats.] (Online version: Canadiana, 1873–1900; HathiTrust, various years.)
• Canada. Patent Office. 1961–1969. The Canadian Patent Office Record = La gazette du Bureau des brevets. [Ottawa: Patent Office.] (Online version: HathiTrust, various years.)
• Canada. Bureau des brevets. 1969–1992. The Patent Office Record. La gazette du Bureau des brevets. [Ottawa: Consommation et corporations (Bureau des brevets).]
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Patent Office. 1992–2003. The Patent Office Record = La gazette du Bureau des brevets. [Ottawa: Patent Office.]
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office. 1999–2004. The Patent Office Record = La gazette du Bureau des brevets. (Online.) [Ottawa: Canadian Intellectual Property Office.]
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office. 2004–2024. Canadian Patent Office Record = La Gazette Du Bureau Des Brevets. (Online.) [Ottawa: Canadian Intellectual Property Office = Office de la propriété intellectuelle du Canada.]

Published patents

We hold microform copies of patents issued to both Canadian and non-Canadian citizens and residents from January 1980 to December 1991.

Use the published lists and indexes above to locate a patent and note the patent number and year issued. Then use one of the following records to request a copy or consult it in person:

• Canada. Patent Office. [1980–1991]. Canadian Patent. (Microfilm.) [Woodbridge, Conn.: Research Publications; Toronto: Micromedia (distributor).]
• Canada. Patent Office. [1987–1991]. Canadian Patent. (Microfiche.) [Toronto: Micromedia]

See Ordering copies online for information on buying a copy. See Order published material in Ottawa for help on consulting published materials from our collections in person.

Access the records

Patents held by Canadians are digitized and available for viewing in Collection search.

The original material is not available for viewing; please consult the digitized microfilm copies. If the original patent file is in good condition, you may request to have it digitized. In some cases, you may arrange to view fragile material with the help of LAC staff.

Related links

• Canadian Patents Database (Canadian Intellectual Property Office)