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The purpose of a patent search is to determine whether an invention is novel. The novelty requirement means that the invention must be physically different from other inventions found throughout the world. So long as there is at least some minor variation from one invention to another conceived and reduced to practice around the world, an invention is considered novel. Generally, the novelty requirement is easy to meet. Whether or not an invention is novel and possibly patentable depends on whether the invention is also non-obvious.
The main collection of information regarding what has been conceived and reduced to practice are the records of patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Every patent issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is indexed in the Classification System which is divided into Classes and subclasses. For every patent issued, a primary Class and subclass number is assigned and one or more secondary Classes and subclasses are also assigned. When a patent search is conducted, the first step is to identify the relevant primary and secondary Class and subclass numbers of an invention. Once the primary and secondary Class and subclass numbers are determined by reviewing each individual patent in the list formulated it can then be determined whether the invention is novel.
Unfortunately, on-line patent information is limited to patent issued after 1969. Information regarding patents issued before 1969 must be obtained by contacting a patent search professional who can then conduct an extensive patent search through the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
To conduct a preliminary patent search, it is recommended that you first determine the relevant Class and subclass of the invention. This can be done by visiting the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Classification Web Page. To generate a list of patents assigned to a particular Class and subclass number, visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office BIB file or IBM's Patent Resource Web Page. If, after conducting a preliminary patent search, the invention appears to be novel, it may be useful to contact us to review your preliminary patent search results. |
