---
title: "Search"
description: "How Custom Search builds targeted lists of cases, documents, patents, docket sheets, and other Docket Navigator records by combining search filters."
---

**Custom Search** builds targeted lists of cases, documents, patents, docket sheets, and other Docket Navigator records. Choose the type of record you want to find, then combine filters to define the results.

Custom Search is available in each Docket Navigator library included in your subscription. Search targets, filters, and saved form layouts vary by library.

[Learn how libraries work](/getting-started/libraries/)

## Choose what you want to find

Start by selecting a **search target** at the top of the page. The search target determines the type of record returned in your results.

Common Patent Library targets include:

| Search target | Results |
| --- | --- |
| **Cases** | Patent litigation cases |
| **Documents** | Filings, orders, decisions, and other case documents |
| **Patents** | Patents involved in litigation |
| **Docket Sheets** | Docket entries organized by case |

Select **More Search Targets** to find additional targets available in the active library. The selected target is highlighted in blue.

Each target has its own filters and saved form layout. Select the target before entering criteria because switching targets clears the values entered for the previous target.

:::note
Charts, trends, rankings, and comparison reports are available from the **Analytics Toolkit**. They are not Custom Search targets.
:::

[Learn how analytics tabs work](/analytics/how-analytics-tabs-work/)

## Build your search with filters

The search form initially displays the filters most commonly used for the selected target. Each filter row contains a filter name, any available operator or matching options, and a field for entering or selecting a value.

For example, a Cases search in the Patent Library may include filters for:

- parties, firms, and attorneys;
- courts and judges;
- patents and patent technologies;
- case type; and
- case filing date.

Enter a value in one or more filters. Empty filter rows do not affect the search.

To use a filter that is not already on the form, select **Add Another Filter**. The available filters depend on the search target and may be grouped by concepts such as who, what, when, where, and why.

See [Text Search Instructions](/text-search-instructions/) for natural-language and Boolean document-text searching.

### Include or exclude criteria

Where available, use **Is** to include a value and **Is Not** to exclude it.

The Parties filter also supports different ways to match a name:

| Match option | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| **exactly** | Matches the entered party name exactly |
| **begin with** | Matches party names that start with the entered text |
| **contain** | Matches party names that include the entered text |

Select **Affiliates** when you want a party search to include related entities.

### Require multiple conditions

Filters that support multiple criteria include an **AND** control. Use it to add another row of the same filter type. All added conditions must be satisfied for a record to appear in the results.

For example, multiple Party rows can be used to find cases involving one party in a selected role and another party in a different role. Filters that support this behavior are labeled **(AND)** in the Add Another Filter menu.

### Enter several values at once

Some filters provide an upload control for adding a list of values rather than selecting them individually. Use it when searching a list of parties, patents, or other supported records.

## Run the search

When your criteria are ready, select **View Results** at the top or bottom of the form. If a result count has been calculated, it appears on the button.

A useful search sequence is:

1. Choose the search target that matches the list you need.
2. Enter the most specific known criterion, such as a party name, case number, or patent number.
3. Add filters for roles, dates, courts, document types, legal issues, or other relevant criteria.
4. Select **View Results**.
5. Review the resulting records and refine the search if it is too broad or too narrow.

Autocomplete fields require you to select the intended record from the suggestions. Typed text that has not been selected may not be treated as a complete filter value.

Search results open in a binder. They can be saved, combined with other tabs, used as the basis for analytics, and used as input to additional research.

[Learn how binders work](/getting-started/binders/)

## Search for a profile

Some targets include a **Profile Search** field above the filters. Enter a name, number, or other identifier and select a match from the autocomplete results to open its Docket Navigator profile directly. No additional filters are required.

Use the **Show Profile Search** setting at the bottom of the page to show or hide this field. The setting appears only for targets that support profile lookup.

[Learn how profiles work](/profiles/how-profiles-work/)

## Refine a search using previous results

A **subsearch** uses the results of one search as a filter in another. This is useful when the records you need cannot be defined efficiently in a single form.

For example, you could first find documents that discuss a particular legal issue, then use those document results to find the cases in which the documents were filed.

There are two ways to begin:

- On the Custom Search form, select **Add Subsearch** and choose results from a previous search.
- From an open results tab, select **Refine with results** to start another search using the current result set.

The subsearch appears below the standard filters. When the prior results can be related to the new target in more than one way, select the appropriate join type to define the relationship.

## Create an alert from a search

Select **Create Alert** to receive notifications when new records match the current criteria. The button becomes available after the form contains at least one valid filter value.

Docket Navigator uses the complete filter configuration for the alert. Review the criteria before completing the alert setup so future notifications match the intended scope.

## Customize the search form

You can choose which filters appear on the form and save a preferred layout for each library and search target.

1. Select **Add Another Filter** to add the filters you use regularly.
2. Remove filters you do not want in the saved layout.
3. Select **Save Form**.

Saving the form preserves the filter layout. It does not save the values currently entered in those filters. The layout loads automatically the next time you open the same target in the same library.

Use the controls at the bottom of the form to manage the current layout and values:

| Control | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| **Clear Form** | Clears entered values without changing the filter layout |
| **Reset to User Default** | Restores your saved layout and clears entered values |
| **Reset to System Default** | Restores Docket Navigator's suggested layout, clears entered values, and replaces the saved layout for that target |

Layouts are stored independently. For example, changes to Patent Cases do not change Patent Documents or Trademark Cases.

## Set Custom Search preferences

The settings at the bottom of the page are saved to your user account:

| Setting | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| **Default Landing Page** | Opens Custom Search at the selected target instead of the Home page when you log in |
| **Show Hints** | Shows or hides explanatory guidance on the search form |
| **Show Profile Search** | Shows or hides the direct profile lookup field when the target supports it |

## Search tips

- Confirm the active library and search target before adding filters.
- Start with a distinctive party, patent, case number, or other specific criterion, then add broader criteria.
- Select autocomplete suggestions rather than leaving uncommitted text in a field.
- Review included and excluded values before running a search that combines several criteria.
- Use a subsearch when one result set needs to define the population for another search.
- Open the underlying Docket Navigator records and source documents when verifying an important research conclusion.

## Availability

The search targets, filters, profile lookups, and records available in Custom Search depend on the active library, the data available for the selected target, feature access, and subscription.

:::note
Features, filters, and available records vary by library. Confirm the active library before interpreting a search result.
:::