There are many ways in which to carry out a search for patents, but the method, and order, of carrying out a patent search, is very important.

I always recommend that at least a conceptual description of your idea/invention is prepared and filed as a Patent Application at the Intellectual Property Office, before any searches are carried out, either by yourself, or anyone else.  This is because any search will take time, and it is vitally important to establish a so-called   Priority   Date    for your idea/invention in order to successfully compete, on a time basis, with intellectual property belonging to other inventors.

Moreover, you will then be making absolutely certain that your idea/invention is protected before anyone at all, knows about it.

PATENT SEARCHES

Introduction

The Preliminary Examination and Search

The Substantive Examination and Search

A Preliminary Examination and Search must be requested before 12 months have elapsed, measured from the date of filing the first patent application describing an idea or invention.

The Substantive Examination and Search must be requested at between 18 and 24 months measured from the date of filing of the first patent application describing the idea or invention.

The Preliminary Examination and Search, examines the filed patent application for formal correctness, and searches for published patents and any other published information, e.g. information published in the literature.  At this stage it is unlikely to search the media, i.e. television and radio, but something might be found even at this stage.  

Because it is only a Preliminary Examination, there will be time to alter any incorrectness in the presentation of the patent application, but it is very important to note that the Preliminary nature of the Search  means that it will only able to find patents which have been published, and so, will not find any patent applications which are still in the so-called "Patent Pipeline".   

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Copyright       Dr Brian R.A. Wybrow       2010       All Rights Reserved

The reason for this is that, to be effective, a search has to define as much about your idea or invention as possible, and therefore to carry out this, "effective search" you would have to define your invention in the search string, and I do not advise this, at this early stage.

The best approach, which is rather slow, but nevertheless advisable, is to use key words which do not define your idea or invention, and to then examine each one of the patents which is found, which seems to cover the intellectual property in your idea or invention.

For example, if you have an idea or invention which involves a bicycle wheel, search under "bicycle wheels", rather than under specific keywords which are more closely related to your actual idea or invention.

The Significance of Searches Carried Out by the Intellectual Property Office

More information can be found on the link to the next page:     

"THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SEARCHES CARRIED OUT BY THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE"