BIOL 3301 | MacOdrum Library

Definitions

Prior Art - any evidence that your invention is already known (does not need to exist physically or be commercially available)
Competing Art - ideas that may not be at all like yours but do the same job

How to search for patents

Techniques

Keywords
- identify keywords through background research
- background questions
  - Purpose: What does the invention do?
  - Application: What is it used for?
  - Structure: What is the invention made of and what are its parts?
  - Function: How does it work?
  - Consumers: Who might benefit from using it?
Classification number
- try to figure out what classification number is appropriate
- Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
  - hierarchy of the classification number
    - Section (one letter A to H and also Y)
    - Class (two digits)
    - Subclass (one letter)
    - Group (one to three digits)
    - Main group and subgroups (at least two digits)
    - Example: A45B23/00
References
- search through similar patents to see if you can find your patent
Boolean Operators
- AND, OR, NOT
Truncation
- common symbols - *, $, ?
Phrase searching
- "..."

Tips

patent searching can be tricky
you probably have to use all of the search techniques and at least a couple of different search tools
search is iterative - you find something new, search with the new information, find something more and use that, and so on
7 step patent search strategy guide (USPTO)

Where to search for patents

Patent Search Tools

Canadian Patents Database
- http://www.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/introduction.html
Google Patents
- https://patents.google.com/
Free Patents Online (US)
- http://www.freepatentsonline.com/index.html
UPSTO – United States Patent and Trademark Office
- https://www.uspto.gov/
Espacenet – European Patent Office
- https://worldwide.espacenet.com/
More...
- Patents, Standards, and Trademarks

How to read a patent

Content last reviewed: October 16, 2022