David S. Alavi, PhD
Registered Patent Agent

Patent Searching

Prior to preparing a patent application, it is often advisable to perform a novelty search of the prior art. I can provide both PTO-based and Internet-based patent search services.

Key Benefits and Considerations

If prior art is found which clearly renders your invention unpatentable, you may elect not to pursue a patent, saving the time and expense of preparing, filing, and prosecuting an application.
The prior art found will assist in determining the proper scope of your patent application.
In some cases, however, a prior art search may be unnecessary, or even undesirable.
Minimal time required to "get your idea across" to me

Capabilities

PTO-based patent searching: I routinely used a Virginia-based patent search firm, National Patent Services (NPS), to do patent novelty searches at the PTO search facilities in Arlington, VA. Based on the search request I prepare, NPS consults an Examiner to determine the patent classes and subclasses most closely related to your invention, and then searches those class/subclasses manually. They also perform a keyword search using the PTO on-site database. Typically, the search results will comprise ten to fifteen patents, and I will make recommendations based on my review of the patents found.
Internet-based patent searching: I can do limited searching of patents using the USPTO patent database. These searches are generally less desirable than a PTO-based search for two reasons: 1) the databases only go back to the early to mid 1970s; and 2) only the text of the first page of the patent is searchable. No full text or figures are available for searching. Patents determined to be relevant by this method are ordered from the PTO by email.

Costs

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