Patent Searching

David Hunt is the CEO and owner of Landon IP, Inc. He holds a BA and an MBA from the College of William & Mary and has worked as a senior manager in corporate strategy, market research, and competitive intelligence at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) in McLean, Virginia. Mr. Hunt has served as a project manager at large and small companies in the information technology areas. He has considerable experience in operations management. Mr. Hunt is a member of PIUG and PATMG, which are the professional patent information users groups in the United States and England. He is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) as well as the Society for Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP). Long B. Nguyen is the director of patent search quality for Landon IP, Inc. He holds an MS in engineering management from George Washington University, and a BS in mechanical engineering and a BA in economics from Syracuse University. Mr. Nguyen is a registered patent agent (No. 56,138) with several years of experience in patent prosecution at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While at the USPTO as a patent examiner, he examined technologies that included traction devices, wheels and axles, and tire inflation systems. Mr. Nguyen also has experience in business methods. Matthew Rodgers is the vice president of the Patent Search Group for Landon IP, Inc. He holds a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Rodgers has conducted research in semiconductor heat treatment and selective laser sintering. Additionally, he possesses significant experience in the analysis of metallurgical failure. Prior to joining Landon IP, Mr. Rodgers worked for several years as a patent examiner at the USPTO and as a technical specialist who conducted patent searches at other commercial patent search firms. He is a regular faculty member of the leading patent law training company, Patent Resources Group, Inc., of Charlottesville, Virginia.

About the Editors. About Landon IP, Inc.

Acknowledgments.

Preface.

Chapter 1: Patent Law and Examination as Context for Patent Searching.

The U.S. Patent System.

Look before You Leap: Considerations before Filing.

Patent Examination Process.

Backlog of Patent Applications.

Chapter 2: Types of Patent Searches.

Patentability.

Validity.

Infringement.

Clearance.

State of the Art.

Patent Landscape.

Benefits of Prior Art Searching.

Chapter 3: The Mechanics of Searching.

Introduction.

Properly Scoping the Search.

Conducting the Search.

Issues Peculiar to Certain Technical Disciplines.

Estimating Search Time.

Chapter 4: Patent Analysis.

The Precursor to Patent Analysis.

Searches versus Analyses: What’s the Difference?

Features of Patent Analyses and Reporting.

Sample Patent Analysis Report.

Chapter 5: Approaches to Reporting Search Results.

Purpose of the Search Report.

Anatomy of a Search Report.

Writing a Summary.

Presenting the Subject Matter.

Discussing References.

Writing Discussions.

Indicating Claims.

Prioritizing References.

Central References.

Peripheral References.

Central and Peripheral References.

Search History.

Classification Areas.

Databases Accessed.

Examiners Contacted.

Conclusion.

Chapter 6: Search Tools.

The Availability of Patent Information.

Criteria for Selecting Search Tools.

When to Select a Search Tool.

Data Sources for Chemical Searches.

Data Sources for Mechanical Searches.

Data Sources For Electrical/Computer Searches.

Data Sources for Business Methods Searches.

Methods of Access.

Text Search Syntax.

Discussion of Specific Search Tools.

Access to Nonpatent Literature.

Value-Added Capabilities of Search Tools.

Conclusion.

Index.