Inventor's Learning Center has a great tutorial for conducting a prior art search. It's critical to perform a thorough search before submitting your patent (or even before working on it) so to avoid infringing on another patent or running the risk of submitting an "obvious" invention.
Start by compiling a list of features and functions. Afterwards, create a list of synonyms that describe each of your invention's features. These words should go into your keyword searches.
Make a note of any inventions that look similar while paying attention to their classification. Repeat your keyword search within each referenced classification for a more refined search.
This is a good starting point for performing your prior art search.
Hi Sasha,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think it was very clear and easy to follow. I like that you included next steps too. If more people took this approach, perhaps Obviousness mistakes can be avoided.