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Patent Search
Prior to filing a patent application, it may be a good idea to
perform a limited formal search of the already-existing patents, to
the extent warranted financially, to see if your invention is
already known. Whether such a patentability search should be
performed often depends on how the inventor plans to make money. For
example, if an inventor plans to make money by selling the patent to
an existing company, then performing a patentability search first is
usual and advisable. Patentability searches cost considerably less
than filing a patent application, and performing a search may save
the inventor the expense of filing an application where the
likelihood of getting a meaningful patent is marginal.
Our usual charges for a U.S. patentability search include copies of
any discovered similar patents and a report with our conclusions and
recommendations. We typically utilize a sophisticated word search
engine in combination with locating and searching the U.S. Patent
Office classification system for what appears to be the closest
classification that your patent may be classified under. In some
instances, it may be advisable to perform additional searching of
the European, World and Japanese Patent offices. Such searching is
at an additional charge unless located through the U.S. search.
Please keep in mind that the classification system of the United
States Patent Office, although highly efficient, does not always
classify a pertinent disclosure in a category which is searched in
any particular search; nor do all search engines perform alike or
perfectly. So the possibility always exists that patents may be
overlooked due to circumstances beyond our control. It should also
be noted that there is no guarantee that a patent search is ever
totally complete inasmuch as the United States patent system
presently includes approximately six million U.S. patents which are
classified and cross-classified within one or more of over 100,000
classification areas. Over one thousand federal patent examiners may
be involved in the classification process, and their opinions vary
widely as to proper areas of classification. It is therefore
exceedingly difficult to be more than reasonably certain that the
most pertinent patent art has been located.
When you receive your patentability report from us, you should read
through the enclosed patent art carefully to help determine the
differences between your invention and the prior art, if any. If you
have any questions about the “usual course” of patent search, please
do not hesitate to contact us.
Patent
Claims
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