APA 7th Edition Citation Examples: Patents

Reference list citation

Fry, A. L. (1993). U.S. Patent No. 5,194,299. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In-text citation:

(Fry, 1993)

Most patent APA citations have four basic elements:

1. Name of the inventor to whom the patent was issued
2. Year the patent was issued,
3. Unique patent identifier (i.e., the patent number) 
4. Name of the official source of the patent information (usually the name of the patent office).

Name of Inventor

Fry, A. L.

Year Issued

(1993).

Unique Patent Identifier

U.S. Patent No. 5,194,299.

Location & Name of Official Source

Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

See The University of Akron's Bluebook Quick Reference: Abbreviations and How-tos for help with abbreviations​.

See Publication Manual, 11.8