Do Your Own Preliminary Patent Search

Although it is recommended that a professional such as a patent lawyer or patent agent conduct a formal patent search for your new invention, it is a wise idea to conduct your own preliminary patent search using the online database at the US patent And Trade Office web site. In addition to this being a free patent search, the advantages of conducting your own preliminary search are: - You will familiarize yourself with the patent process. - You will learn about product categories and sub-categories, and about how to present patent materials. - You might find patents of products in your field or industry, giving you competitive information - You might just find another product like yours, eliminating the need for a more costly, formal search. Just remember that the online database at the USPTO only goes back as far as 1975, so it would never be a compete search.