innovation | SearchQuest Patent Search

December 16, 2020June 28, 2021

The Comprehensive Independent Patent Search: Part 3

Inventing is a colossal CHALLENGE and can become a colossal mistake if done poorly. On the other hand, inventing successfully is an AMAZING journey. What will define the type of experience you have is how many of the commonly encountered, and costly mistakes, you can avoid while trying to get to the ultimate finish line of your product going to market. And that experience should begin with the Comprehensive Independent Patent Search.

What is the First Thing an Inventor Should Pay For?

The first thing an inventor should pay for is a comprehensive, independent patent search. That’s Wise Investment #1.

The comprehensive, independent patent search needs three critical components to qualift as such. All three are necessary so the inventor has the all the information needed to make the next set of business decisions to the best of their ability.

As mentioned in the previous parts of this topic, using a classification search for the USPTO database search rather than a keyword search, and including a WIPO database search, are both critical as well. But there is one remaining component left to discuss. Both previous parts to this topic can be found in our blog archive: https://www.www.searchquestpatents.com/blog-archive/

What is the Third Critical Component of the Comprehensive Independent Patent Search?

The third component of a good search is that a Product Search needs to be done. After all, if the product is found in the marketplace, a new patent will not be granted. Also, keep in mind that there is about a two-year blind spot at the USPTO. A provisional patent application is never made public and lasts one year. Then a non-provisional is filed, but it is not published for about 18 months. That blind spot at the USPTO is a legitimate blind spot, but a blind spot nevertheless. However, many inventors will post a product on social media, start selling online or even put up a website. The product search is the only way to mitigate the blind spot.

What is the best way to do a product search? You guessed it: GOOGLE! http://www.google.com

When it comes to inventing, having information sooner rather than later protects inventors (and their wallet) from making bad business decisions. It is better to know more about what has been filed and/or manufactured before all the money is spent on a patent filing.

Too many service providers want to make money on the inventor so they prefer to offer less information. The independent comprehensive patent search should be done by someone who is independent of any attorney or intellectual property office and their only obligation is doing the best search possible. This guarantees that the report they generate will be unbiased.

Enjoy the challenge and the journey.

December 15, 2020June 29, 2021

The Comprehensive Independent Patent Search: Part 2

What is the First Thing an Inventor Should Pay For?

The first thing an inventor should pay for is a comprehensive, independent patent search. That’s Wise Investment #1. And that search needs to contain three important components. All three components must be present so the inventor has the necessary information to make the next set of business decisions.

The previous post discussed how a quality search is not limited to a keyword search in the USPTO database. Rather, the search is focused on classification. If you missed our previous post, you can find it here in our blog archive: https://www.www.searchquestpatents.com/blog-archive/

What Is the Second Critical Component of the Comprehensive Independent Patent Search?

The second critical component of the search is that it needs to encompass a seach of the World International Patent Office (WIPO). Why is that so important? Because the entire world makes claims on behalf of its citizens to “new and novel” intellectual property. More importantly, each country has agreed to honor the patenting process of each other by not granting similar patents.

What this means for an inventor in the US is that the USPTO examiner will search the WIPO database just as thoroughly as our own database. Consequently, if your invention has been done anywhere in the world, at any time in history, you will NOT be granted a US patent.

For more information on WIPO, check out their website at: https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/

When It Come to Inventing, Knowledge is Power

When it comes to inventing, having information sooner rather than later is critical to success. It protects inventors (and their wallet) from making bad business decisions. It is better to know more about what has been filed and/or manufactured before all the money is spent on a patent filing.

Enjoy the challenge and the journey and stay tuned for the third component of the Comprehensive, Independent Patent Search!

December 12, 2020June 29, 2021

The Comprehensive Independent Patent Search: Part 1

What Is the First Thing an Inventor Should Pay For?

The first thing an inventor should pay for is a comprehensive, independent patent search. That’s Wise Investment #1. The comprehensive, independent patent search includes three important components. And all three must be present in order for the inventor to have the necessary information to make the next set of business decisions.

Do NOT Limit Your Search to a Keyword Search

The first component of a good search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database is that it CANNOT be limited to a keyword search. In other words, it has to be done by classification. Too many companies just do a keyword search, which only covers part of the patents filed and issued over time.

The USPTO has been in existence for more than 200 years! That’s a lot of patents and a keyword search can’t begin to cover them all. More information about the USPTO can be found on their website at: https://www.uspto.gov/

Inventors need to understand that a patent examiner from the USPTO goes all the way back to the beginning of patent filings to search. Thus, a comprehensive search for the inventor needs to cover the entire history of patent filings.

Above all, when it comes to inventing, having information sooner rather than later is paramount. It protects inventors (and their wallet) from making bad business decisions. It is better to know more about what has been filed and/or manufactured before all the money is spent on a patent filing.

Too many service providers want to make money on the inventor so they prefer to offer less information. The independent comprehensive patent search should be done by someone who is independent of any attorney or intellectual property office. That means their only obligation is doing the best search possible. As a result, the inventor is guaranteed a report that is unbiased.

Enjoy the challenge and the journey and stay tuned for the second and third components of the Comprehensive Independent Patent Search!

For more information, please visit our Inventor Issues blog at: https://www.www.searchquestpatents.com/blog-archive/

December 8, 2020June 29, 2021

PRESS RELEASE : SearchQuest Patents

SearchQuest Patents: We Search the World

Now a Corporate Sponsor of the United Inventors Association!

Denver, Colorado, based SearchQuest Patents, is a professional patent search company. Moreover, they specialize in offering a comprehensive patent search conducted by an independent third party for a flat rate. And now they are excited to announce their new corporate sponsorship of the United Inventors Association!

The United Inventors’ Association is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational resources and opportunities to the independent inventing community. Subsequently, they encourage honest and ethical business practices among industry service providers. The UIA defines their mission as Empowering Inventors through Education, Access and Advocacy. To learn more about the UIA, check them out here: https://uiausa.org/

SearchQuest Patents is thrilled to be approved as a corporate sponsor for such a prestigious organization that is so dedicated to working with and educating up and coming independent inventors. To learn more about the services SearchQuest Patents offers, please check out the website here: https://www.www.searchquestpatents.com/

What Makes SearchQuest Unique

SearchQuest is unique in its approach to performing comprehensive patent searches because it focuses on utilizing not just the USPTO database, but also the international database maintained by WIPO. To check out the recent topics discussed by their CEO, Rita Crompton, also known as The Inventor Lady, go to: https://www.www.searchquestpatents.com/blog-archive/

https://uiausa.org/donate-support/

United Inventors Association: Educating and helping inventors succeed.

November 5, 2020June 28, 2021

The Comprehensive Patent Search: How It Can Be a Costly Mistake if Done Incorrectly

The Comprehensive Patent Search

As an Inventor, you know that the first and foremost task is coming up with a great idea! An idea that has the potential to impress the world and make you some money. But beyond coming up with that idea, no easy task mind you, the remainder of the process of getting an idea from mind to market can seem a bit daunting. It is also a process that can be riddled with challenges and is ripe with opportunity to make costly mistakes.

Avoiding a Costly Mistake

So how do you avoid those costly mistakes that have the potential to completely derail your success? One of the most important steps, and a step that should occur at the very start of your journey, is to get a Comprehensive Patent Search done by an Independent Third Party.

I want to stress the importance of both components of this statement as both are equally critical.

I have written a sister article called “The Importance of Using an Idependent Third Party to complete your Comprehensive Patent Search”. The use of an independent third party is also a critical element of the patent search process being done correctly. Please check it out at: https://www.www.searchquestpatents.com/2020/11/06/common-patent-search-mistakes-inventors-make-choose-an-independent-third-party/

What is a Comprehensive Patent Search?

What do I mean by Comprehensive? In this specific case I am referring to the need to get a patent search done for existing patents on an international scale, not just a domestic one. The search needs to cover not only what is on the market, but what is part of the public domain. And finally, it needs to address the time gap that exists for patents that have been applied for, but not yet granted.

That sounds like a lot more to cover than just a google search, huh? It is. It’s also the reason that using a reputable patent search company is so necessary. Your decision to move forward with getting your idea to market will be based on two concepts. The first is whether or not you have grounds for a good patent moving forward. The second is whether or not one can be written that won’t infringe on anything existing in the world.

Domestic Versus International Searches

Unfortunately a common mistake many inventors make deals with the international versus domestic search. The erroneously belive that if they only want to sell their idea in the United States, then they only need to research what has been done domestically. But that is not how the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) sees it. Nor is it what they consider when determining if a patent is issued.

The USPTO will always look on an international scale for patent infringement before issuing a new patent. That’s why an important component of any Comprehensive Patent Search is to completely research at the international level and report back anything that may exist in other countries.

Chose Your Patent Searcher Wisely

So what does this mean for you as an inventor? Y need to be wary of who you use to complete the Comprehensive Patent Search! It is a complicated research process that should only be done by someone familiar with both the USPTO database and the sister international database maintained by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The best option for getting a Comprehensive Patent Search done will always be to have it completed by an Independent Third Party, which will be discussed in the next article.

This article is sponsored by SearchQuest Patents, a company that works with Inventors to guarantee a Comprehensive Patent Search Report is generated for all submissions. Each report is always generated at a flat rate cost. An unbiased professional researcher who specializes in understanding both the USPTO database and the WIPO database conducts every search purchased.

For more information, please check out the website at www.SearchQuestPatents.com.