An Inventor’s First Task – A Patent Search
A professional patent search can be a little expensive, so many inventors opt to do their own. There are a few problems with this approach, however, which searchers should be aware of.
The first of which being–even if your patent search brings up no similar or related patents, it doesn’t mean they are not there. Additionally, if you conduct a search and find that there are other patents out there similar to yours, it doesn’t mean that you should just give up right there. There may be ways you can modify your patent to make it unique before you proceed with your patent application.
Professionals have both the knowledge to guide you in your patent application, and the resources to do a thorough patent search. That said, there is little harm in taking the first steps yourself.
So, once you’ve decided on your invention and are ready to search out patents, where do you start? The sites listed below are good, initial search places where you can search for free.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office – If you get stuck here and can’t figure out the process, look for the Help page. It has a lot of information and instruction.
Google Patent Search – If it’s searchable, it’s likely that Google searches it. This site does not, unfortunately, allow for extremely detailed searches, so it’s better to use as an overall patent search tool. After which you can follow up on one of the other sites.
Free Patents Online – You can download the patents in a true PDF file, as opposed to images as supplied by the USPTO site, which makes reading them far easier.
If you are new to patent searches, start with these free search tools and allow yourself time to get familiar with the process. Of course, I still recommend that you consult a professional, particularly before you spend thousands filing a patent. The last thing you want is to find out that, as it is, it’s too similar to someone else’s, thus wasting your time and your money.
