Search Prior Art

Conduct a structured prior art search to find publications, patents, products, or disclosures that predate a specific invention. Used to assess patentability (can this be patented?), challenge validity (should this patent have been granted?), or establish freedom-to-operate (is this design covered by existing rights?).

When to Use

• Evaluating whether an invention is novel and non-obvious before filing a patent application
• Challenging the validity of an existing patent by finding prior art the examiner missed
• Supporting a freedom-to-operate analysis by finding prior art that limits a blocking patent's scope
• Documenting a defensive publication to prevent others from patenting a concept
• Responding to a patent office action that questions novelty or obviousness

Inputs

• Required: Invention description (what it does, how it works, what problem it solves)
• Required: Search purpose (patentability, invalidity, FTO, defensive)
• Required: Critical date (filing date of the patent application, or invention date for prior art)
• Optional: Known related patents or publications
• Optional: Technology classification codes (IPC, CPC)