How to Start a Patent Search

If you are an inventor and you have the juice of creativity running in you, then you need to protect your works with patent rights. A patent is a group of rights an individual can apply for to protect their inventions. This involves some detailed procedures, which begin with a patent search.

• Search the United States Patent and Trademark (USPTO) online database, which is the official website for all the government's patent applications and all the issued patents. Perform a broad search with as many different words that can describe your invention. You cannot be issued a patent for describing your invention differently from another invention that shares the same concept. Patents are for original ideas, and you must confirm the uniqueness of your invention by this search.

• Search in Google Patents. Google uses the same information that is stored in the USPTO online database. Google's search interface is somewhat better and more user-friendly, while the search results are displayed in a more organized and easier to understand manner. Often some patents that were overlooked while searching through the USPTO are discovered.

• Search using the advanced search feature on the Free Patents Online website. This website also uses the same database as USPTO, but they have an advanced search page that makes it easier to carry out very detailed and complex search queries. If you are looking for patents that were issued to an inventor in a particular city, town or state, this can easily be done using their search form.