Be the FIRST to

Since the America Invents Act (AIA), March 16, 2013, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has changed the patent filing provision from the first-to-invent system to first-to-file system. That means, inventors have to act fast to protect their inventions.

Why patent search before filing?

According to 35 U.S.C. 132(a), no new matter can be introduced after filing of a patent application. In other words, during patent prosecution, all of your responses (e.g. evidences, arguments, explainations, etc.) will need to be supported in your original filing. As you may not have a second chance to apply patent for the same invention, a thorough patent search up front to gather relevant information is really necessary.

Benefits of patent search

Novelty

Determine whether there is another person having the exact same invention. Avoid patenting known invention.

Obviousness

Look for similar inventions out there, and be prepare to explain how is your invention differs and is not an obvious variation of other inventions.

Description

Knowing the state of the art of the field of your invention enhances the presentation of your invention.

Preparation

Gather information and evidences for future questions and challenges from patent examiners. Be ready.

Introducing the DIY patent search tool for applicants

Powerful Search Features

Classification Search

Dive Directly to the Field of the Invention

Our classification tools allow users to search directly within the relevant fields of the invention. This solves the problem in conventional text-based search system where a term could have multiple meanings and be used in different fields. The tools includs:

  • Guided level-by-level CPC classification search - users no longer need to know/memorize the classifications
  • Enable searching of ONLY the first/primary inventive classification - focus only on the primary feature of a document
  • Classification trends - Find out which field(s) of invention are getting more popular over the years

Text Search

Easy to Use Innovated Tools

Focus Patent Search provides a wide-range of tools that allows searchers to easily narrow the search results to their target with simple steps. In addition to basic text search, the search engine is further capable of:

  • Proximity term search - search for terms with a specified distance apart
  • Weighted term search - allow specific terms to be considered more important than others during search
  • Auto-suggested important terms in each document - help distinguishing a group of similar documents
  • Auto-suggested and trending of common Title/Abstract terms - see popular use of terms within a group/class of documents

Forward and Backward Citation Search

Inventions are Linked Like an Evolution

The majoyity of inventions are based on previous inventions. Forward and backward citation search allow you to identify the whole invention series. Use forward citation search to identify future inventions based on a certain document, and use backward citation search to find out the previous state of the art that a document is relied upon.

Competitor Search

Know the Competitors of Your Invention

Our search engine allows users to identify other people/companies having similar inventions. We further provide tools to analyze the geolocations, patent filing history, and relevant technology trending of your competitors.

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