Patent Search

The result attainable by conducting a search is essentially determined by the search fields covered by the search and especially by the time at which the search is carried out. The search fields may comprise the relevant prior art in general and in particular the relevant prior art created by competitors known by name, and also the potential markets. According to the search fields selected, the search of the relevant prior art is a subject matter or a name search. The market search is used essentially to obtain information on marketing options for certain products. Patent literature, published patent applications, patents and utility models are primarily available for carrying out the search via databases or publication sites of the German Patent and Trademark Office, supplemented by literature and industrial databases.

The result of a subject matter and name search thus provides information on known technical solutions and thus makes it possible to assess the chances of patentability of the invention. A market search on the other hand provides information on the scope of the economic exploitability to be expected. A global evaluation of the search results thus renders it possible to make a prediction of the chances of economic success of a technical invention.

In addition, the time at which a search is carried out determines the content of the search result. Thus, a basic search already conducted in the build-up phase of the technical invention, whose purpose essentially lies in specifying the technical field in which a technical invention is intended to be created, makes it possible to realise innovation planning. Any such basic search may thus prevent the situation where research and development are carried out in a way that circumvents the needs of the market, either since corresponding products are already existent or since it can be assumed that there is no interest at all or else insufficient interest in products of a certain technical field.

If the search is conducted at a time when the invention has already been created, the search may no longer have a bearing on the invention itself but may merely be used to assess the created invention with regard to patentability and economic exploitability.