A patent is an idea in progress. A typical inventor is innovative and
prolific.
Quite often you will come across a “cluster” of patents by the same inventor(s) representing upgrades, extensions, or improvements of a given idea.
Therefore, in a given field of innovation, an inventor’s name is a great key word for a patent search. For example, if you are inventing a new personal transportation device that allows people to move faster, commute, shop, and run errands, make sure that “Dean Kamen” has not invented something similar.
Talk to experts and find out names of pioneers in the field, then study the pioneer’s IP. This exercise is one of the best ways to cover the prior art.
Also, once your patent search reveals a relevant document, make sure to use that inventor’s data (name, city, etc) in a subsequent search.
The same applies for companies.
Table
of Contents
- Who is an Inventor
- Patents and Patent Classes
- Goals of Patent Search
- Benefits From Patent Search
- Keywords: Before You Start!
- Abstract
- Specific
- Specialized
- Know Fellow Inventors
- Combine Keywords
- How to Search
- Tips, Tricks, and Observations
