4 ms·
Most IP attorney's will do quite a bit of research themselves. If you, or your university, have access to it, IBM's Delphion is an excellent resource (not free
by sarosh 19y ago
Most IP attorney's will do quite a bit of research themselves. If you, or your university, have access to it, IBM's Delphion is an excellent resource (not free system).
I think your question is too broad and needs to be refined.
If you are looking to patent a software algorithm, the approach to research ideas would be very different from that for particular plants. As a general tip, search by patent class http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/ http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/
Alternatively, search the pending applications of a large company in the field you are researching. For example: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.html http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.html
And in the query field type:
AN/google
It is from the pending applications that you can look at 'prior art.' Prior art is the list of the patents and other materials upon which a patent relies. Here is a software analogy: If a patent is source code, prior art is an <include> directive or a <lib> call. Only by mastering the existing libraries can you produce new code. Look at some source code. Then examine the libraries/include files. And then start tinkering around on producing your own source code.
- kingnothing 19y agoTo get a bit more specific, I found an answer to a problem dealing with the implementation of encryption in a particular environment that, as far as I know, hasn't been done yet. I suppose that would fit in to the software algorithm category. I've been reading up on encryption in general today in order to figure out if the solution is novel or not, and so far, it seems as though it is. Looks like I have a lot more reading to go, though. Do you have any more tips for researching software patents?
- sarosh 19y agoIf it's encryption software, browse around the Cryptography class: http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/uspc380/sched380.htm http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/uspc380/sched380.htm After you find the subclass, click on the red P to get a list of the granted patents. But note that these are only the patents that have been granted, you still have to check out the latest patent applications. This system can seem a bit confusing, which is why there are so many service providers who specialize in this area. But with a little elbow grease, you can get through it yourself. The defect with resources such as freepatentsonline is that they do not have the whole database. A good alternative is http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/simple.cgi http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/simple.cgi If you are handy with regexpr/sexpr/xml search tools, you may want to take a look at the raw patent data from the FTP archives as well as the Patent Grant Red Book. More info at http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/patdata.html http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/patdata.html From the raw data you could roll your own patent search engine. Please also note that as a general habit you should research the academic periodicals in the Crypto arena to see if anyone else has published any information about the topic in question. If so, you will need to include it in 'prior art.' If you are very serious about the process, check with a local attorney. If the prices quoted seem out of your ability, contact the nearest (and largest) law school in your area. Speak with the IP faculty who can point you in the right direction for local counsel.
- kingnothing 19y agoThank you, that's some great info.