Google Patents Advanced aims to simplify searching for patents by making it easier than ever.
Advances in Google Patents
As part of its initiatives to make patent searches easier, Google launched Google Patents Advanced in 2015. In addition, it can save inventors money by allowing them to search current patents on their own.
Many of you may be familiar with Google’s 20 percent time projects, in which engineers worked according to their interests. One of those projects was Google Patent Advanced. Patents similar to one that inventors are considering patenting can be found using this tool. This article about Google patent searches may have already caught your attention.
What makes this tool so useful?
Many inventors spend time studying patents to understand what has already been patented and to see how other inventions are made. An inventor often conducts a search of this kind before submitting a patent application.
Professional searches can be very expensive. Since they understand the terms used by patent agents and patent attorneys, it saves them a lot of time and makes the search more efficient. There are, however, wonderful and free online tools that can allow inventors to quickly see if there is anything similar.
An overview of keyword searches
Everyone begins their online search with a keyword search. In the search box, users can type terms and then click the search button to find relevant results. Your invention or idea would probably be described using the words you would use to describe it. Search terms may not yield a full picture of what might be available since you are not a professional patent agent or attorney.
Your description keywords must be varied to get the best results. Despite the secret keyword combination, much work remains. After you have received a reasonable number of results, you can begin digging. Discover which patents are relevant to your search by reading the patents themselves. Patience and time are required for this.
Classification of trademarks and Google Patents
The US Patent and Trademark Office uses classification systems to narrow down searches. Although this technique can be valuable, it can also be overbroad. A patent professional, such as an attorney or agent, will need to help you understand how inventions are characterized. It is like learning a secret language to understand the features, concepts, and scientific principles. You can only search classification systems effectively once you have thoroughly comprehended all possible descriptions.
A patent classification search is frequently the only search done by professional patent searchers. It is not an intimidating task; a professional searcher completes them for a living. Having to deal with patent classification systems day in and day out makes a professional quite fluent in them, even more than an inventor or an attorney.
In order to learn what things are called, you must learn their names and classifications. Some aspects and features are commonly referred to by certain names by patent attorneys. Patents related to these industries are hardly ever obvious, but as soon as you become familiar with the industry nomenclature, it becomes much easier to find relevant patents.
Steps to follow Google Patents
In the event that you have found similar patents (and are confident that your invention will be able to be patentable), your next step should be to seek out an intellectual property attorney. Patent lawyers are sometimes referred to as these attorneys. In addition to guiding you through the patent process, assisting you with paperwork, and keeping you informed of changes in intellectual property law, an experienced intellectual property attorney can also provide you with advice and guidance. Licensed patents can be drafted by patent attorneys, and licensing agreements can be negotiated by them.
In general, licensing agreements specify the amount of upfront payments, the timeframes for payments, and the possibility of infringement. Whether to grant exclusive or nonexclusive licenses will be determined by your lawyer. Non-exclusive licenses can be acquired by more than one entity. A patent owner (or licensor) still owns the patent after an exclusive license transfers manufacturing rights to the licensee.
A licensee with an exclusive license can sue for infringement if they believe the license was violated. There is often a time limit on the validity of an exclusive patent license. You can reduce the possibility of long-term unintended consequences by working with a qualified patent attorney.
UpCounsel’s marketplace specializes in patent searches, patent applications, and other legal needs. As a result, UpCounsel only accepts the top five percent of attorneys. Harvard Law and Yale Law are among the law schools represented on UpCounsel. Among them, Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb have all worked with them or on their behalf.
