A patent search helps you assess the novelty of your invention by identifying similar existing patents or prior art references. It provides insights into the existing technology landscape, allowing you to make informed decisions about pursuing patent protection and potentially avoiding infringement.

Different types of patent searches include novelty searches to assess the uniqueness of your invention, clearance search also knows as Freedom-to-Operate search to ensure that you have freedom to launch your product or services in a given jurisdiction (i.e., ensuring that you do not infringe on any active patent before launching your product or services in the jurisdiction where the patent was filed), and infringement searches to evaluate if any commercial product or process is infringing on your IP and vice versa.

Patent databases such as the USPTO, EPO, WIPO, and specialized commercial databases are commonly used for patent searching. Scientific literature, industry publications, and non-patent literature sources may require access to specialized databases having repository of research publications and other literature forms. These may include databases like IEEE, Nature, Springer, SAE, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and so on.

The duration of a patent search varies depending on factors such as the complexity of the invention and the scope of the search. Typically, a patent search can be completed within a few days to a couple of weeks, providing you with valuable insights for your patent strategy.