Patent Searching
This is a reproduction of Investing in Patents by Russ Krajec. For the complete book, get it on Amazon.
A patent search is a starting point for any analysis of patents. They are done under different circumstances and for different reasons, but they all can be done with the same basic techniques.
A search is helpful when investigating a technology, when considering getting a patent on an idea, when determining who are the big players in a market, or when considering an investment.
Searching uses a classification system called the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system. All patents are classified using this system, and it acts as the Dewey Decimal System in a library, where all patents describing the same technology are grouped together.
The CPC is the most universal of the different patent classification systems, and the USPTO has recently changed from its older USPC system to CPC. CPC is also used by the European Patent Office, and the CPC has become the gold standard for patent searches.
Some searchers are very familiar with the classification system and begin by searching the classification system to find the best classes, then search patents within the class.
When a searcher is not familiar with the classification system, a keyword or natural language search can uncover several patents. From the patents that appear to be close to the invention, find the appropriate classes, then search within those classes.
The classifications of a patent or patent application are listed on the front page of the document or in the search results. Here is an example from a search for “birthday balloon” from Google’s patent search engine:
Under the “classifications” section (shown expanded) are the classes that this patent was given. The top classification of A63H27/10 is expanded to show the hierarchy of classes. By clicking on one of the class numbers, a list of all the patents within that class can be searched. By adding keywords to search within the specific class, a reasonable search can be done in minutes.
Some classifications are very well organized, while others are not. Remember that there is an influx of hundreds of thousands of new patents and patent applications added every year, so the classification system is continually growing, with new subclasses being added and other classes being reorganized.
Many paid-for search engines, such as AcclaimIP.com, will have powerful tools for navigating the patent system as well as finding additional data that comes from aggregating several databases.
One of the powerful features of AcclaimIP is a list of all the patent owners in a classification and the patents that were purchased in that classification over time.
The list of patent owners often uncovers companies that would not have been considered a competitor. By listing the number of patents owned by each competitor in the specific class, a researcher can easily see who might be a formidable competitor.
Diving into a specific competitor’s portfolio in a specific class will reveal their technical and business approach to the same problem as our invention.
An example of a search results for a “zip-lock” plastic bag is shown below:
This view shows the number of patents purchased by a company and sparklines that illustrate the priority data of those patents. From this view, we can see that Reynolds, S.C. Johnson, and Illinois Tool Works are active acquirers. These companies would be targets for any new inventions in this field.
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