Search Creatively!

Search your idea online without giving it away.

Patents are organized by class and subclass denoted by the numbers 123/456, the
later indicating the subclass. Start with a broad search on Google Patents and
narrow in on a class (123), followed by an in-class search until you pin-point a
subclass. You can then expand by organization (assignee) and by inventor to get a
better grasp on existing prior art (inventions).

People have different ways of searching through existing patents, theres nothing set
in stone, eventually youll develop your own technique. Searching is an iterative
process and one piece of prior art will give you ideas on how to modify your
searching strategy to fine tune your technique. Theres no way of knowing whether
youve exhausted all prior information, so at some point youll have to stop scanning
documents and move on.

The USPTO does not examine provisional patent applications for patentability, they
only get looked at for completion to insure all the information is there. Should you
decide to file a non-provisional at some point before the 12-month deadline, the
patent office will perform an exhaustive prior art search using state of the art
software and theyll apply the most relevant art in the examination.

You should still perform a search before you apply for a provisional patent
application just to insure you are not wasting your time with something thats
already invented. If you find a gizmo thats not exactly the same to yours, you might
still be able to patent your idea.

Nothing there? Well then proceed with a provisional patent application.


Start Searching Today!

Legal told me to include this:

The intellectual property information that we provide does not constitute legal advice. We are not
intellectual property lawyers nor are we a law firm, consequently we do not provide legal advice. No
attorney-client or confidential relationship exists or will be formed between you and Youvention nor
any of our company members. The accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the content is
not warranted or guaranteed. We recommend you consult a lawyer if you want legal advice.