How to Use Google for a Patent Search
If you have an invention you think might be worth patenting, one of the most important first steps is conducting a search to see if there are applications or a patent that already exists. If you work with a patent attorney, she will also do a thorough search, but you can save yourself some time by conducting your own preliminary search. Use Google to search more than 8 million patents and applications from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records.
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Instructions
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Determine your search terms. Google patent search functions the same way as any other search in Google. Type your terms in the search box, and hit "Enter." As with any search, if you put a phrase in quotation marks, your search will include that specific phrase as you search the full text of patents. If there are no patents that match those exact terms, you will get a message stating "no results" for that specific phrase, but it will return any patents that include those words, without quotation marks.
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Set the first drop-down option to view "Any Status, Issued Patents, or Applications." This returns both issued patents and patent applications. It's important to look for applications in the process of being examined along with issued patents.
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Select how you want to view search results: in a list or as a thumbnail of the front page drawing. Occasionally, searches will return patents that include your search terms but are for vastly different inventions. Seeing the actual drawing can help you quickly determine which patents in the search you will need to examine more closely and which may not apply at all.
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Examine the patent number, the year the patent was issued and occasionally the inventor. Note of the numbers that you feel relate to your search. Start a Google document spreadsheet to capture that information. If you have a list of patent and application numbers in your invention log when you visit your attorney, they can incorporate that list in her search.
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Sort results by relevance, sort by date (newest first), or sort by date (oldest first). You can use that option to reorder and organize your list.
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Use the Advanced Search feature, located at the top near the Search Patent button or at the bottom of the page. You have greater options for wording your search, and which words or phrases to include, or exclude.
This area also includes many patent specific searches, such as Patent Number, Title, Inventor, Assignee and U.S. or International Classification. Further down is the ability to search by a range of issue dates or filing dates.
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Tips & Warnings
When searching, include search terms that may be in the description or specifications of the patent, not just what you think the title of the patent may be, or what you're going to title yours. Patents are often titled in very limited and specific terms, such as "Improved Hand Held Transmission Device" which may not tell you very much about what the actual invention is.
Google offers a help page to help you understand a little about patent structure, with a basic explanation of terms found on patents, such as patent summary, drawings, claims, and others. It can help if you've never seen a patent before.
At the bottom of the search page is a link for an RSS feed to keep up on any updates to the information for which you've searched. You can also set up a Google alert to keep you in the know on what's going with other inventors or inventions similar to yours.
