Patent Search

The patent search process is very important to start with because it will establish whether your invention idea is patentable or not. A patent search is best when it is a free patent search prior to spending any money before moving forward with your patent process.

Whether it is a free, patent search or not, it will tell you what you need to know before going any further. If your patent search proves that there is prior art and any other patents that are similar to yours or that the search results make it clear that you could obtain a granted patent then you will know that and you can move forward or not move forward with your project.

Let’s say the patent search was positive and in your favor. The next step would be to design your invention so that it can be described and drawn in such a way that it would be clear to file a patent application based upon that design work. That is the only way you can confidently move forward in the patent process.

The next step is to have a registered patent agent or attorney build and file the patent application on your behalf. The USPTO will assign a patent examiner to look over your application and do their own patent search in order to verify there is no prior artwork and or patents granted that you would be infringing upon. This can take about 3 years in some cases and can take as little as a year if you file a fast track patent application.

A fast track application is very much predicated upon a thorough patent search because the results must be described as a part of the patent application in order for the examiner to know what citing’s of prior art are brought forward and in what classifications those results were found. This will speed up the examination process and allow them to issue the granted patent much faster and with more accuracy in the long run.

It is an important aspect to many inventors because it can protect their product out in the open market much more than just having a patent pending status. It is also more effective for licensing with other companies having a granted patent rather than the patent pending status. It also allows for a longer life span of your product by preventing anyone from infringing upon your patent. It makes you the inventor more money for a longer period of time.

Essentially, this is what a proper patent search will do for you. It can be used in so many situations to benefit you long into the future. Make sure you have an experienced person who is doing the patent search properly and they will give the actual search results along with a short opinion of whether it is or isn’t patentable. In every case a solid patent search is your very best evidence of being issued that ever important grated patent that will make all the difference in your future.