4 Ways You Can Complete A U.S. Invention Patent Search
What is the first step in
obtaining an invention patent? You must find out if somebody has
already patented that idea? If the invention’s been patented, you’re
pretty much out of luck. The simplest way to learn this is to do an
Internet patent search.
Why Does This Matter?
The first person to design an invention in the United States is the one
that gets the patent. When you have a patent, you have a monopoly over
its use for the last 20 years from the patent’s date application. This
monopoly could end up rewarding you with big money.
It wasn’t that long ago that people needed an attorney or professional
patent searcher to do the search for them. This typically costs $500 or
more. In fact, it was typically far much more. Many inventors were
often discouraged because of the expense.
1 - Internet Patent
Searches
The Internet makes it far easier to do a patent search, whenever you
want with little cost and effort. This comes in the form of
checking out the U.S Patent and Trademark Office as the first
stop. You can do this by checking out www.uspto.gov to search
for patents. The system will allow you to do three things:
- Search patents going back to 1976
- Search patent applications from as far back as March 2001
- Do bibliographic searches
You’ll be able to download, view and print images of all patents before
1976 in mere minutes with a high-speed data line. Keep in mind that
everything is free until you want something sent by mail.
2 – Google Patents
Check out www.google.com/patents is another worthwhile source to find
U.S. patents dating back to the 1790s, which is when the system was
started. Google Patents tends to offer older patents than the USPTO.
Many folks tend to like the Google site better than the official
government site.
3 – Patent Searching
Companies
You also have several patent searching companies you could hire (for a
fee) to you the searching for you. They include:
www.delphion.com
www.patbase.com
www.patentmax.com
http://scientific.thomsonreuters.com/products/patentweb
Don’t have Internet access at your home or place of business? Use a
public library’s Internet access to find the information you need.
4 – Offline Patent
Searches
Maybe you don’t like the idea of doing online patent searching. That’s
okay! You can still search for what you need the old fashion way.
Another great resource for a patent search is the Patent and Trademark
Depository Libraries, as these libraries are generally well-stocked.
They don’t just have patent materials; they also have reference
librarians who can guide you through the process. All states have one;
thus, you can find your states library at www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl.