Free US patent search. The secrets that will save you time and money.
Free patent searches are just a click away.
A US patent search is an early, prerequisite step in the process of filing a patent application. The primary intent of a patent search is to find out if anyone has previously invented your idea. However, especially for a new inventor, the costs for hiring a patent attorney (or a patent-search company) to conduct the patent search may be — in itself — more than the inventor can afford.
A patent search by an attorney or company can run up to $1,000 and more, especially if your invention is in what’s called a “crowded” field of art — that is, lots and lots of products in the same field of your invention.
Thankfully, over the last few years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other organizations have put sizable chunks of patent databases online — free for everyone’s review and search.
The two databases that I personally find most valuable are:
1. The service provided directly by the USPTO. http://www.uspto.gov/patft/
2. A phenomenal new service offered by Google. The Google Patent Search tool covers the entire collection of USPTO patents issued from the 1790s through those issued in the middle of 2006. http://www.google.com/patents
Conducting the patent search.
With the above two patent-search tools (and others) at your disposal, how do you go about conducting a patent search? Instead of me reinventing the wheel here (pardon the pun), there are some great step-by-step tutorials on the Web that will give you the paths to follow. These tutorials are free and unbiased, as they’re authored by two fine, reputable educational institutions: the University of Texas and Penn State University.
Check out the following two links the the above-referenced university tutorials: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/patent-tutorial/index.htm
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/business/Patents/
I hope the above information sheds some light on the patent search process. With the above free patent search tools and the free patent search tutorials, you should have the resources you need to conduct a thorough patent search that will become the foundation of your patent application. And save yourself a lot of money in the process.
– Eric
P.S. This post answers the following Web visitor questions and information searches:
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Hi Eric,
Awesome website, you are my hero!
I am writing you to see if you could help me with my issue. I want to take product “A”, that utilizes a common household appliance (product “B”) to make it work and custom make that common, household appliance (Product “B”) to specifically work with product “A” and make product “A” much more marketable and user friendly. By doing this, the product would go from non-existant in the USA to a must-have for a large demograph of people! Product “A” is in public domain and virtually unheard of in the US. Of course product “B” is in every household, I would just customize it to make it very appealing pschologically and much more convenient for the user. I want to patent the use of these products used and sold together in a motif that appealing to the targeted group. Any ideas?
Warm regards,
Kris
Hi Kris. Thank you for the very kind words.
Good news: It is extremely common in the world of inventions to take two (or more) existing products and put them together in a never-before-considered novel way to create a unique, non-obvious combination.
Say, for instance, you had two very common items: shoelaces and a mini stopwatch. And you thought to combine them to make a unique new product (that you creatively call “StopLaces”) that lets runners keep track of their running times via mini watches on their shoes. (Realistically, Kris, this invention may or may not be patentable. I’m just making this up to illustrate the point.) Rule of thumb: if you put together previously existing products in a non-obvious way (that is, a unique combination that produces a surprising result that no one has thought of before), it is quite possible to get a patent on the idea.
So, I’d recommend that you focus your patent search (as described in this section) to see if anyone else has thought of the combination you envision. If you don’t find that anyone has, you may want to press ahead. Let me know if you have any additional questions as you go through the process.
Good luck!
– Eric
Good Morning Eric,
My name is Chris Lynch and I have invented an entire series of trivia games second to none.I have been perfecting these games for 20 years and have finally traken the necessary steps to take them to market.I have one game in prototype status Super Trivia Bowl.A football trivia board game that can also be played on a desktop ( I went to computer programming school just to write the program for my game.Which is complete but needs fine tuning of course).I have hired InventionHome to attempt gain some interest in the market place. They without a doubt havee the reasonable options for someone like myself to get the process started.Anyway they did a preliminary patent search for me.Is this preliminary search good enough for me to file for a patnet myself? As you know after one year I must file for a patent or loose it. My 1 year is up in the middle of April. Any suggestion ?
Hi Chris.
First off, congratulations on all of your efforts to get your invention off the ground. I admire that sort of gumption and spirit.
You’ve posed a tough question to answer. I have no familiarity with the company you mentioned, and of course have no idea what they may consider a “preliminary patent search”. I recommend that you get a better sense for what they consider a preliminary patent search before you consider your next steps.
It is very important that a thorough patent search be done — to make sure (a) that there is no similar invention (conflicting “prior art”) and (b) to help you (or your patent attorney) write a solid patent application that takes into consideration other similar inventions.
I hope this information is helpful. Again, kudos for the literally years of effort you have put into your invention. Best wishes for success!
– Eric
Hi Eric! Thanks for the great advice on this site!
I wanted to ask your advice for a situation I have.
Some time last year I made an invention similar to your “StopLaces” example in a sense that it’s a combination of two common items. I believe I can prove that I invented it about a year ago even though I can’t prove an exact date and did not start working on it for a while.
I started building a prototype earlier this year (without filing a patent application), and then discovered that one non-US based website has just started offering a very similar product at a time that I believe is later than my original invention date.
Is my invention still patentable in the US based on the “first to invent” rule, or could the other website even make it to be in public domain assuming they never try to file a patent application in the US?
Thanks a million!
Steve
Hi Steve.
First off, congratulations on your invention efforts. You’ve made great progress. Kudos.
There are lots of ways for a product to enter the public domain. In the case you described, if the company has marketed the product for over a year — but didn’t file a patent application — the product is now essentially in the public domain.
You are required to disclose to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) everything you know about prior art (similar or related inventions / products) — even devices that are available outside of the U.S. Based on the couple of points you mentioned, especially since you cannot prove an exact date of your invention’s creation, I think it would be rather difficult for you to succeed with a patent application. Sorry, but I am just giving you my honest opinion based on the info you’ve provided. (And, given the content of your post, my guess is that your gut is telling you the same thing.)
I wish I had better news for you. But, as I tell other new inventors, don’t give up your efforts to develop a truly unique product for the marketplace. You clearly have the desire and thought-processes necessary. Perseverance is one of the most important personal characteristics of any inventor.
Keep up the great work — and the inventor’s spirit!
– Eric
Hi Eric,
First, I want to say thank you for all the hard work you have put into this web site to help new Inventors like myself. I am quite sure you are a “Knight” in shining armour (little pun intended) to many, if not all, of us.
Second, I have another web site I have been using for patent searches, before I found out about your recommendations. Here is the URL: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/.
Would you mind checking it out, to see if it’s a good resource for patent searches, and maybe make it number 3 on your list? For full disclosure, I am in no way affiliated with this web site or the makers of it.
Anyway, I am a new poster on your site and I am very sure I will have questions for you concerning my new invention and the patent process, which I am attempting now. I have my proto-type already done and it works perfectly. And I know, with the help of your awesome web site, and the USPTO, I will succeed.
Thank you again Eric.
Sincerely, Rich Williams
New Inventor and soon Patent Pending Inventor
Hi Rich. Thank you for the kind words…even the fun pun.
Yes, the Web site you mentioned looks to be a good resource. Thank you for mentioning it here.
I look forward to answering your questions about your new invention. With the prototype already under your belt, you’re well on your way.
Again, let me know of I can be of assistance. Congratulations on your “soon to be” pending patent application.
– Eric
Hi. I was wondering if you could discuss at what point you become confident that the search you’ve conducted is enough to go through with the patent application. I have an invention that I have not seen marketed anywhere, and I’ve done a few mild searches for the what I think would describe the item, but I guess I’m not sure if how i would describe the item is the way someone else might describe it. That may be confusing, for instance, if you were to search for your stop watch laces you might search for ‘stop watch’ and ‘laces’, but what if someone else is just describing it in a completely different way, say ‘shoe counter’ or something similar. Thank you for all your advice!
Hi Tricia. Excellent question…although a little tough to answer.
It is really hard to say when enough is enough in a patent search. For me, it is more of a gut feel than anything. And, rest assured, the examiner of your patent application at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will do a very comprehensive search using a variety of sophisticated tools. If something similar exists, she or he will likely uncover it.
The examiner’s search is all part of the process as described in my post “How much does a patent cost?” You can hop over to that post via the following link: http://patent-your-inventions.com/?p=12.
I wish I can give you a precise answer — but such an answer doesn’t exist. I hope the above guidance is helpful.
Best of luck with your invention endeavor. Glad to help!
– Eric
Eric, Great website saves everybody alot of time and money.
My question is if I produce a product in three shapes, say a square a circle and a rectangle that have the exact same look and function, do I need a patent for each shape scenario. Or, can I write in the claims (of one patent application) that the product may have multiple shapes?
Thanks so much in advance for your responce.