This 38-minute video tutorial from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office will walk you through the process of searching for patents using the USPTO's tools.
Or see A Seven Step Search Strategy with Detailed Examples - prepared by the USPTO.
Google Patents covers the entire collection of granted patents and published patent applications from the USPTO, EPO, and WIPO. US patent documents date back to 1790, EPO and WIPO to 1978.
Searches patents from 95 jurisdictions, drawing from US (USPTO), European (EPO), Australian (AU), and World (WIPO) patents. The structured search allows you to create search strings and combine search concepts.
Offers free access to information about inventions and technical developments from 1782-present for European countries as well as other countries. Full-text access varies based on country.