How to Do a Patent Search Without a Lawyer

How to Do a Patent Search

Before filing your patent—or even developing a product—it's important to check whether your idea already exists. A patent search helps you avoid wasting time and money on an invention that may already be protected.

Why Patent Searches Matter

A thorough patent search can help you:

• Avoid filing for an invention that's not novel
• Discover prior art that could block your patent
• Learn from similar ideas and improve your design
• Avoid accidentally infringing on someone else’s rights

Step-by-Step: How to Perform a Patent Search

1. Start with Google Patents

  Go to [1](https://patents.google.com) and search using:
  * Keywords that describe your invention
  * Inventor or company names
  * Specific technologies or functions

2. **Use Classification Codes (CPC)**

  Narrow your results by searching within relevant Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) codes. Example:
  *  – Information retrieval
  *  – Network security and authentication

3. **Review Patent Claims**

  Focus on the "Claims" section. This defines the legal scope of protection. Compare claims to your idea closely.

4. **Search International Databases**

  * WIPO PATENTSCOPE: [2](https://patentscope.wipo.int)
  * Espacenet: [3](https://worldwide.espacenet.com)

5. **Keep Records**

  Document your search terms, filters, and what you found. This can be useful later if you consult a lawyer or respond to an examiner.

Tools for Free Patent Searching

• Google Patents
• USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT)
• WIPO PATENTSCOPE
• Lens.org

When to Hire a Professional

Patent attorneys or search firms offer:

• Comprehensive prior art search
• Legal interpretation of claim overlap
• Strategy guidance for drafting around existing IP

Related Articles

• How to Check If Something Is Patented
• How to read a patent
• Patent Agent Cost
• Patent Filing Timeline