No matter how big or small, every company seeks to protect its discoveries through intellectual property rights like patents. To get patents, businesses must submit applications to the appropriate patent office. Before they can do that, they must determine whether their inventions are patentable. The best method to determine this is through patent searches. You must have a strong patent search strategy to ensure these searches are fruitful.
The recommendations in the following article can help you create a sound strategy for thorough patent searches.
What Does a Patent Search Aim to Do?
Before submitting a patent application, a patent search is done to identify any relevant previous art and determine whether the invention or subject matter is patentable. If an innovation is rejected, this stage enables corporations to avoid patent prosecution costs. Organisations either undertake them with limited resources or outsource them because conducting internal searcher takes a lot of time.
A patent is a legal instrument that ensures that no one will use or enjoy your inventions without your consent. Conducting research is one of the best strategies to protect yourself against patent infringement. Working on research has various benefits also, including obvious ones.
Making costly mistakes can be due to patent search
Once you’ve established whether your innovation is patentable, you’ll be better positioned to decide later.
By being familiar with prior pieces of art, you can get ready.
Knowing the prior art will make it simpler to determine whether your invention qualifies for patent protection and develop original claims and descriptions.
In any manner you can, improve the patent application or design.
Increasing their awareness and familiarity with the literature available in their area of invention can benefit inventors, who can use this information to either strengthen their patent application or develop a design-around plan.
How Should You Approach Patent Searches?
The following steps should be followed to search the USPTO or other online search engines.
1. Make a list of keywords.
You can begin your search by choosing a pertinent keyword if the tool includes more sophisticated features, such as semantic search. Such factors help you learn your search intent and give precise results.
2. Find the relevant CPC category using your phrase.
You can search for pertinent patent materials once you’ve decided which CPC classification best fits your idea. Search the patent documents for PatFT (issued patents) and AppFT using the most appropriate CPC classification you defined before (published patent applications).
When searching in the US, you must search both The Complete Patent Documents Database and The Published Patent Applications Database.
You’ll note that many other online search engines will return both granted and published patent applications in one search when you use them to track worldwide. By using advanced filters, you may fast focus your search for more precise results.
3. To find further related patents, use the citations of the prior art of the most relevant patents from your search.
You can extend your search after identifying the patent applications and issued patents that are the most similar by examining their forward and backward citations. Going through the sources and preceding art layer by layer will help you get complete results.
Several internet search engines provide search features that can save time by removing the need to sort through citations layer by layer. Doing a patent search using such tools and algorithms is more effective and easy.
4. To enlarge and broaden your search, repeat the procedure.
Check out non-US patents and non-patent material in other authorised patent offices to broaden the scope of your search. Finding information about related patents from other countries can also be done by looking at a patient’s family tree.
Conclusion
Doing a patent search can have many benefits. You can defend yourself against any rejection or patent infringement you may experience. While conducting a patent search, a lot is on the line. Adherence to all best practices is crucial for the best possible outcomes. Every phase demands a comprehensive examination of the tiniest but most important elements that impact the search procedure. As a result of the interdependence of one aspect, ensuring quality at each stage is crucial. The search team often conducts quality checks while keeping the search’s most essential elements in mind. Additionally, if an error is found, it must be fixed immediately, or the deadline and quality of the entire project could be compromised.
