Patent Searching Made Easy: How to do Patent Searches Online and in the Library

Patent Searching: An indispensable tool for inventors Patent Searching Made Easy explains how to assess the novelty of an idea and do patent searches at little or no cost, under the recently-adopted first-to-file rules. There’s no sense paying thousands of dollars to file a patent application if someone else has beaten you to the Patent and Trademark Office. Now you can avoid expensive patent-searching fees with this step-by-step guide that explains the process, online and off. Patent Searching Made Easy, shows you how to to: • quickly research any new idea to see whether anyone has already patented it • come up with the best keywords to describe your invention and target your search • classify your invention based on the U.S. Patent Classification System • figure out whether your idea is new enough to qualify for a patent • verify the patent status of ideas submitted to you (if you’re a developer), and • use the latest federal and international search-related resources.