Patent

Information
Badec, Kristina P.
Electronics Engineering Department
College of Engineering and Architecture
USTP-CDO Campus

*all information in this presentation is taken from IPOPHIL

Patent Search
•Is an iterative process by
which prior inventions are
examined, with the goal of
finding information that
bears close similarity to a
given patent or proposed
invention
•Is a search conducted in
patent databases as well
as in the literature
available to check whether
any invention similar to
your invention already
exists
Basic Search Mechanisms
Three types of searching techniques used in
conducting prior-art search:

Classification Text
searching searching

Citation
searching
Keyword Based Search
One of the basic strategies

Synonyms, Industry Jargon, legalese or patentese truncations are

used.

Iterative kind of search

Keywords are taken from different parts of the document.

It can be helpful to generate a variety of keywords before beginning

the search.

Avoid broad and generic terms such as “device’’, “process”

“system”, etc. Such terms will tend to bloat your results.

Search strings are modified to converge towards the desired

domain
Keywords

• words which describe

essential technical
features of the invention
Keywords
• can be searched in the
title, abstract,
description or claims
Keywords: Language, Synonyms
and Equivalents

Not all patent documents are

written in English

color vs. colour;

plow vs. plough;
center vs. centre

truck vs. lorry;

backpack vs. rucksack;
diaper vs. nappy; elevator vs. lift
Keywords

• Include synonyms in the

keyword list.
• Search for synonyms
Synonyms e.g. using specialized
dictionaries
• synonyms are taken
from results of search
Keywords

• The keyword list should include

industry specific terminology.
• These terms are particularly
Industry useful because their use may
be limited specifically to a
Jargon particular industry.
• If so, the search results will be
more focused on the
invention.
 Legalese / Patentese
• words or technical terms that are a generalization of the original elements

• are invented and defined ad hoc by the patent writers and will generally
not end up in any dictionary or lexicon

• Many of the documents are written by patent attorneys meaning that

the documents are full of legalese.

• To broaden applicability of the patent application, attorneys may use

generic terms instead of industry jargon to describe the invention.

• the formal and technical language of legal

Legalese documents that is often hard to understand.

Patentese • The legal jargon used in patents.

 Legalese / Patentese

• “mouse trap” can also be a

“rodent extermination device.”
Patent Jargon
Patent Jargon
Patent Jargon
Patent Jargon
Patent Jargon
Patent Jargon
Legalese / Patentese
For "camera" returns these patents that use very different phrases
in place of "camera":
 Photographing optical apparatus (US5727239)
 Image pickup device with facial region detector and method of
synthesizing image including facial region (US7440013)
 Digital photographing device with separate optical distortion
correction for dynamic images and still images (US7265787)
 Image sensing apparatus (US7671896)
 Recording apparatus and method, reproducing apparatus and
method, and program (US8520086)
 Image capturing system, image capturing device, and image
capturing method (US8369701)
 Eye examining instrument with photo-detecting system
(US4257687)
Searching for : “smartphone” patents

Keywords used: cellular phone, mobile phone,

smartphone

RESULT: you won’t be able to retrieve patent

documents that describe a smartphone with a
keyword like “handheld device”, “portable
communication device”, “portable communication
terminal” or “wireless communication device”
Keywords: Truncation

Truncation/ word-stemming
Uses wildcard characters such as an asterisk * or a
question mark ? to substitute for any other character or
characters when added next to a string of search terms.
attach* - attach, attached, attaching, attachment, attachable
*attach - reattach (re-attach)
*attach* - reattaching (re-attaching), reattached (re-attached
speciali?ation – specialisation, specialization
commerciali?ation – commercialisation, commercialization
Keywords: Truncation

• Restricts the maximum

Truncation length of strings
or Word
Stemming • Ex: elect* -> electric,
electrical, electricity, etc.

Ooooppps…
take extra care, coz this might include irrelevant words,
such as election, elect, etc.
Keywords: Spelling

vulcanizati
on
Option 1-vulcanization
or vulcanisation
Option II –
vulcani?ation
Option III – vulcani*

vulcanisation
Keywords: Spelling

color

Option 1-color
or colour
Option II – colo*

colour
Keywords: Phrase Searching

Use quotation marks “”

searching for a phrase
when

Examples:
“solar panel”
“electronic cigarette”
Keywords: Boolean
Operators (AND, OR, NOT)

tennis AND racket: all docs having both the word tennis and
racket

tennis OR racket: all docs having either the word tennis or

the word racket

tennis NOT racket: all docs having the word tennis but not
the word racket
Nesting

A OR B AND C

(A OR B) AND C A OR (B AND C)
Nesting
Keywords: Parenthesis/Brackets

Used when keywords are nested to clarify the

order of search query elements

For example, you want to find patent documents on either red

seaweeds or brown seaweed

 seaweed AND red OR brown  possible that a search database

may confuse the search as (seaweed AND red) OR brown
 seaweed AND (red OR brown)
Keywords:
Parenthesis/Brackets
Wrong format
◦ Dog OR cat OR pet AND cage OR kennel OR housing

Using proper brackets

◦ (Dog OR cat OR pet )AND(cage OR kennel OR housing)
SCOPING THE SEARCH

Properly Generating
Text Queries
EXAMPLE: RFID
A shipping company would like to
improve its logistics management.
You've been asked to perform a search
for inventions related to radio frequency
identification (RFID) tags used to track
the movement of containers.
Key Concepts

radio frequency identification,

RFID containers
Phrases

“radio frequency identification”, RFID

containers
Boolean Operators

“radio frequency identification”

OR
RFID
AND
containers

Indicate relationships between concepts

(synonyms and additional concepts)
Nesting

(“radio frequency identification” OR RFID)

AND containers

• Resolve ambiguous logic

Wildcard Operators

(“radio frequency identification” OR RFID)

AND container*

• Include variants (here: plural form)

mobile phone
Bad search
◦ Title/Abstract: ‘mobile phone’

Poor search
◦ Description: ‘mobile phone’
◦ Title/Abstract: electronic device

Good search (exhaustive)

◦ Field search is combination of title, abstract, claims and specs
◦ ‘mobile phone’ OR ‘cell phone’ OR ‘cellular phone’ OR ‘hand phone’
OR ‘portable telecommunication device’ OR ‘portable electronic
device’ OR ‘handheld communication device’ OR ‘handheld
electronic device’
◦ Plurals
Exercise
Construct a search string for “eyeglass”
Search string for eyeglass
Spellings
• eyeglasses, eye glass

Synonyms or word variations

• eyewear, spectacle, goggle, shades, lens

Phrase
• “eye glass”, “eye wear”

Truncation/word-stemming
• eyeglass*, “eye glass*”, spectacle*, goggle*

Boolean operator
• eyeglass* OR “eye glass*” OR eyewear OR “eye wear” OR spectacle* OR goggle*
Search string for corrective eyeglass

What if you need to search for patent docs about corrective eyeglass?
Nesting:
◦ (eyeglass* OR “eye glass*” OR eyewear OR “eye wear” OR spectacle* OR
goggle*) AND (corrective OR ophthalmic)
◦ (eyeglass* OR “eye glass*” OR eyewear OR “eye wear” OR spectacle* OR
goggle*) AND (correct* OR ophthalmic)
SAMPLE INVENTION
A patch for administering vaccines that comprises
microscopic projections made of silicon produced using
deep reactive ion etching, with a length adapted to reach
Langerhans cells, for improving immune responses through
delivery and eliminating the cold chain.

Build out concepts and terms around the technology area of

interest
CONCEPTS: Initial Text Queries

A patch for administering vaccines that comprises microscopic projections

made of silicon produced using deep reactive ion etching, with a length
adapted to reach Langerhans cells, for improving immune responses through
delivery and eliminating the cold chain.
◦ immune response
◦ cold chain
◦ patch
◦ microscopic projection
◦ silicon
◦ deep reactive ion etching
◦ langerhans cell
◦ vaccine
QUERY: QUICK AND DIRTY
"immune response" AND "cold chain" AND patch* AND
"micro* projection*" AND silicon AND "deep reactive ion
etching" AND "langerhans cell*" AND vaccin*
INVENTION: Scoping the Search

A patch for administering vaccines that comprises

microscopic projections made of silicon produced
using deep reactive ion etching, with a length
adapted to reach Langerhans cells, for improving
immune responses through delivery and
eliminating the cold chain.
◦ What problem does the invention solve?
◦ What is the invention? (Describe what the invention physically is)
◦ What does the invention do?
INVENTION DIAGRAM
PROBLEM SOLUTION

What it is: What it does:

(structure) (function)

immune response patch vaccine

cold chain microscopic
projection
silicon
deep reactive ion
etching
langerhans cell
INVENTION: SOLUTION
(STRUCTURE, FUNCTION)

Key Concepts:
[1] vaccine
[2] patch
[3] microscopic projection
[4] silicon
[5] deep reactive ion etching
[7] langerhans cell
Invention:
Brainstorm synonyms and equivalents
vaccine: inoculation, antigen, antibody generator
Patch
microscopic projections: microprojections, nanoprojections,
microscopic needles, microneedles, nanoneedles
silicon
deep reactive ion etching: DRIE
langerhans cell: dendritic cell, antigen-presenting immune
cell
Query: Keywords
Vaccine, inoculation, antigen, antibody generator
patch
microscopic projections, microprojections,
nanoprojections, microscopic needles, microneedles
nanoneedles
silicon
deep reactive ion etching, DRIE
langerhans cell, dendritic cell, antigen-presenting
immune cell
Query: Place Boolean operator
vaccine OR inoculation OR antigen OR antibody
generator
patch
microscopic projections OR microprojections OR
nanoprojections OR microscopic needles OR
microneedles OR nanoneedles
silicon
deep reactive ion etching OR DRIE
langerhans cell OR dendritic cell OR antigen-presenting
immune cell
Query: Phrase
vaccine OR inoculation OR antigen OR "antibody
generator"
patch
"microscopic projections" OR microprojections OR
nanoprojections OR "microscopic needles" OR
microneedles OR nanoneedles
silicon
"deep reactive ion etching" OR DRIE
"langerhans cell" OR "dendritic cell" OR "antigen-
presenting immune cell"
Query: Apply stemming
vaccin* OR inoculat* OR antigen* OR "antibody
generat*"
patch*
"micro* projection*" OR microprojection* OR
nanoprojection* OR "micro* needle*" OR microneedle*
OR nanoneedle*
silicon
"deep reactive ion etching" OR DRIE
"langerhans cell*" OR "dendritic cell*" OR "antigen-
presenting immune cell*"
Query: Put parentheses
(vaccin* OR inoculat* OR antigen* OR "antibody
generat*")
patch*
("micro* projection*" OR microprojection* OR
nanoprojection* OR "micro* needle*" OR microneedle*
OR nanoneedle*)
silicon
("deep reactive ion etching" OR DRIE)
("langerhans cell*" OR "dendritic cell*" OR "antigen-
presenting immune cell*")
Query: Nesting
(vaccin* OR inoculat* OR antigen* OR "antibody
generat*") AND patch* AND ("micro* projection*" OR
microprojection* OR nanoprojection* OR "micro*
needle*" OR microneedle* OR nanoneedle*) AND
silicon AND ("deep reactive ion etching" OR DRIE) AND
("langerhans cell*" OR "dendritic cell*" OR "antigen-
presenting immune cell*")
Final Text Query
(vaccin* OR inoculat* OR antigen* OR "antibody
generat*") AND patch* AND ("micro* projection*" OR
microprojection* OR nanoprojection* OR "micro*
needle*" OR microneedle* OR nanoneedle*) AND silicon
AND ("deep reactive ion etching" OR DRIE) AND
("langerhans cell*" OR "dendritic cell*" OR "antigen-
presenting immune cell*")
Basic Search Strategy
(applicable to any patent search)
1. Find keywords expressing the essential concept of invention
(alternatively, start with IPC, i.e. in step (4) and then use keywords)
2. Find synonyms of these keywords from technical dictionaries,
documents already found in this technical field patents
classifications, and tools such as CLIR
3. Carry search to see first broad results indicating also more
synonyms and classifications
4. Find useful patent classification symbols
5. Use keyword search to find the most relevant classification
(compare different classifications if necessary as regards their
relevance to your search)
Basic Search Strategy

6. Carry out search to find relevant classified documents

7. Combine the results of the classification search with
additional features of the searched technology using
keywords
8. Iterate this procedure
9. In general, start broadly (recall) and narrow down
(precision) to relevant documents as search progresses
10. Read carefully a manageable number of documents
 In summary…
Build out concepts and terms of technology

Address invention in methodical way (Problem-Solution Approach)

Brainstorm synonyms, word variations or equivalents

Apply “ ” when searching for specific phrases

Apply word-stemming

Regroup terms related to a concept using Boolean operator

Avoid broad and generic terms such as “device’’, “process” “system”, etc.
Such terms will tend to bloat your results.
Use parentheses to organize search
>> End

…this is not the real end, this is just the beginning…