BME Capstone 370 & 371

The phrase "prior art searching" usually refers to invention.  A prior art search looks at the patent literature and other sources to identify related inventions and technology.  The intent is to find existing solutions to design problems and to avoid infringement of existing patents.  Likely places to find these solutions are in the marketplace, in the research literature, and specifically in the patent literature.

• For information on searching patents, we have a guide: Using Patent Databases and Finding Patents.
  • An inventor is not required to file for a patent.
  • But, a patent grants certain rights and, in return, shares technology with the community.
• Those skilled in the trade and working in the area of technology are thought to be aware of new products (in their special area) and where to find them.  The internet expands the scope of searching.
• This varies based on the type of design challenge but the prior art may also be discovered in the research literature, in product announcements, and in popular news outlets.

For searching patents, the top databases are:

• Google Patents - with good keyword searching and easy linking to classification searching.  Included patents and applications are from around the world.
• Espacenet - patents and applications from around the world.  Good for those who want to start with the manual of classification.  Known for providing "patent families," that is, linking together related -- though in different countries -- applications and granted patents.

(2:20) From Espacenet.  An overview of the database's features.

For help working with patents: