Where is the "Best" place to search for a patent?

Where is the "Best" place to search for a patent? I know about the USPTO, and I know about Google, but are those the best places to be looking when I start my initial search?

Susan

I am also trying to find out the best places to search existing patents. Any sites would be appreciated.

Location : Sunny, Florida

Susan Bellman wrote:: Where is the "Best" place to search for a patent? I know about the USPTO, and I know about Google, but are those the best places to be looking when I start my initial search?

Susan

Susan & Musclez,

The USPTO & Freepatentsonline are the two site I use the majority of the time.. Google is ok except they seem to be behind by 1 to 2 months after a new patent issues. The USPTO is a good site and thats where I spend most of my time. It took me years to be able to master searching on there, now I can narrow a search down pretty quick.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/ is a really cool site for the novice and the so called expert. I use it mostly for patent application searches. You can search publications after the 18 months are up. I find this to be so important and most inventors never do it before or after they apply. I search applications and patents after I have applied for a patent. I like to see what patents and applications pop up after I apply, it gives me a heads up.

Which ever site you use learn to master it the best you can. It will be frustrating at first but hang in there, one day you will cruising along and realize this is pretty easy.....Just remember when searching applications someone may of choose to not have there application published....there nothing you can do about it. .....its the nature of the beast.....

A month or so ago I spent 3 to 4 hours on the phone with a lady I know from one of the other forums I spend time on. She wanted to be able to be more productive in her searching. Once we were all done later that night she emailed me some applcations and patents she found that were in the same lines as the product she was working on....The hair stood up on my arms and I had a huge smile on my facing knowing she listened to me and was willing to do what ever it takes to be productive in her searches......

I hope I could help and good luck.....Remember there is Luck involved in inventing....the more research you do the better off you are.
Just be productive

Gizmo[b]

Copied and pasted...

I might get around to elaborating at some point, but for now...

Patent searching:

www.freepatentsonline.com - slightly enhanced features compared to the USPTO's site.

www.sumobrain.com - I haven't used it but I believe it is the same as www.freepatentsonline.com just slightly better.

Google Patents - Great for pre-lim searching or "back checking." Best when used in conjunction with another site.

www.delphion.com - The best site (and most convenient) in terms of features/advanced search capabilities. Not free.

www.espacenet.com - Good if you need to search foreign databases not searchable via the other free sites, or if you want to use ECLA classifications to search patents (the international classification system is different than the US one, and in some searches an ECLA subclass or two might be more pertinent to a search than any US subclass). freepatentsonline/SumoBrain allow you to search WO/EP/JP, though, and those are the databases you will usually be concerned about. Delphion offers broad access and enables searching by ECLA classes and more.

www.patentscourge.com - This is a Google Custom Search engine set up by Criterion Dynamics (really, set up by me). As a tool for searching patents/patent apps it is only so so. It is a respectable resource for searching certain sources of non-patent prior art.

Market data -

Google - Google actually deserves to be listed as a research tool, as obvious or as pointless as that may seem. I will not be providing a free (or paid, for that matter) tutorial on how to best use it, but Google provides strong advanced search capabilities and can at times be more useful than research databases that some pay good $$ for.

Ebscohost - Basically a database of news/magazine/trade publication/etc articles and is quite possibly accessible online for free through your local library.

Factiva - similar to Ebscohost, Lexis Nexis, etc. It is very useful however when you factor its advanced search capabilities and overall ease of use. It is not cheap but they sometimes offer a free trial.

Census Bureau - The Census Bureau's site is a good place to find basic industry/demographic statistics. For an easy way of searching the site (and other market data on the web) - check tr.im/quickstatistics

Dun & Bradstreet (Selectory.com) - The best company listing out there. It is not free but they offer a free semi-functional seven day trial.

Reference USA - A lesser version of D&B possibly accessible through your local library.

I forgot to add - while Biznar.com is nothing overly special per se - it is worth a mention here as a pretty decent and completely free resource for market/business data.

- Bill
bill@criteriondynamics.com
www.criteriondynamics.com

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