The Universe of Patent Search and How It Functions
Prior Art searches are the precursors to patentability search. In this search, there is a review of prior art material available with various sources. Prior Art search consists of:
- Patentability search
- Patent examination search
- Validity search
Prior Art search also has other applications. It is a search done before filing a patent. It improves the pace of prosecution of a patent where the patent claims are configured to align with Prior Art. One of the advantages of this search is that it helps reduce the cost by dint of saving on time. it also helps in removing the hurdles that may appear on the way. There are indications as to where lies the unexplored field where research and development investments can be made. There are possibilities of infringement which may be analysed. There may be indications of inherent problems in the existing technology. The search is done by a person who happens to be the examiner and his job is to know if the patent application is fit for granting permission. There is space for the examiner to write about the innovativeness.
It has been known from the litigators and patent practitioners that people have exact needs for a search to serve their purpose. You need to have a structured way of doing it to serve your legal and business needs. The Ensemble IP takes expertise and technological tools together to arrive at a result which is not possible by human or machine intervention alone. It goes beyond what the competitors can provide. A sound patentability search has a focus on what works for the client and it is inclusive of database searches in the language that is of interest to you. There is one analyst for all the projects of a client and adherence to reporting formats is followed. There is a comprehensive business process in place just to ensure that the scope of the project remains steady, and the search is carried out extensively and there is strict adherence to budget and timeline. The modern patent search process captures the scope and the time needed.
Before you start the search, you should have an idea of what needs to be found out and what already is known. You should make optimum use of search engines and encyclopaedia on the internet. Other useful sources of information are newspaper articles, magazines, and so on.
