To get started, this two-minute video demonstrating Google Patent Search is a good first step. For more targeted searches of the most current patents in the U.S., check out the five-minute video tutorial on searching USPTO.
European Patent Office (EPO) provides esp@cenet a network of Europe’s patent databases. This site includes access to machine translation of European patents for some languages.
Stopfakes.Gov -- Toolkits about the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) environment in various countries.
For additional resources, contact your local Patent and Trademark Depository Library;
visit the USPTO Public Search Facility or the USPTO Main STIC Library.