How to Search for Existing Patents?

Before you spend a lot of time and drain a lot of energy in creating the next big thing, for once just make a patent search to see if it has already been made. The internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of human behavior in its own way. You can do anything from diagnosing ailments to booking a flight ticket sitting at home in an underwear. This is true for the young generation of entrepreneurs. The Gen-Y business guys can do anything sitting at home. This is true for entrepreneurs who can perform all their activities virtually on the World Wide Web. Using the web can save you a considerable amount of money and save you from all the effort that you would put in in case you get to working on stuff that has already been found. So all you need to do is a patent search. This is to find out if your idea has already been found and patented. You can alter the patent and make it an invention of your own but you should take care of the fact that it shouldn’t be infringed. A patent search can be conducted by examining the published patents that relate to the thing you’ve been working on. You can similar inventions to improve one of your own and refine it without infringing any other person’s patent. You can crosscheck for existing patents by physically going to the legal patent office or you can surf the internet and check it online. This is your call. While doing a patent search online can prove to be valuable, it may be limited to your personal experience and database. So, once you do a patent search of your own, then you should hire a professional patent search expert which is expensive but preferable. All you need to do is starting by narrowing down to what you’re searching. Identify the type of patent from among the three types below.

1. Utility patents- They are the most common type. It covers objects that either function in some new way or produce some completely new result that similar objects hadn't been able to before.
2. Design patents- They encompass enhancements to an existing object without any change in its functionality.
3. Plant patents- They deal with new types of plants that are grown using grafts, cuttings or some other asexual method. However, genetically modified plants fall under the umbrella of utility patents.

Next is to choose your search approach based on the reason you’re searching. You need to decide whether you can do it on your own or you need a professional to do it for you. The patent search allows you to construct search strings and search a wider range of parameters/fields. If your idea is unique, you can go ahead with your patent search.