Patent Searching Made Easy: How to Do Patent Searches on the Internet and in the Library [Paperback]

David Hitchcock (Author), Patricia Gima (Author), Stephen Elias (Author)

Book Description

Series: Patent Searching Made Easy: How to Do Patent Searches on the Internet & in the Library | Publication Date: February 1999

Now inventors can get instant feedback on their ideas via the Internet. For the novice searcher, Nolo Press offers an entertaining book that helps with the process. "Patent Searching Made Easy" explains how to use an Internet browser to search U.S. patents, discusses how to classify an invention properly, and tells how to find all relevant patents issued since 1971.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A word of caution before trying a search at the USPTO website -- first read Patent Searching Made Easy. -- Popular Mechanics

Now inventors can get instant feedback on their ideas via the Internet. -- Ingram

Patent Searching Made Easy... covers search strategies and gives specific search tips. -- Computer Currents

Thoroughly explains how to search for previously issued US patents, using resources available on the Internet and at PTDLs -- Booklist

With patent searches costing anywhere from $300 to $700, this book should be a valuable aid to most inventors. -- Entrepreneur --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

In the past, if you wanted to assess the novelty of an idea, you had to wade through the patent database at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) in Virginia--or hire a lawyer to do a patent search for $500 and up. The cost and inconvenience of these searches often meant that good ideas were left to rot on the vine.

With David Hitchcock's book, Patent Searching Made Easy, you can learn to do patent searches yourself, on the Internet, at little or no cost. The 3rd Edition has been completely updated to include the latest changes at the PTO's patent searching website and the latest resources available at the Patent and Trademark Depository Library system. A chapter covering the European Patent Office has also been added. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Nolo; 1st edition (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873374762
• ISBN-13: 978-0873374767
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,667,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Patent Search Reference, January 13, 2006

By 

Bill Bazik (Fairview Park, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patent Searching Made Easy: How to Do Patent Searches on the Internet and in the Library, Third Edition (Paperback)

Too often, inventors and business owners plunge ahead with an exciting new idea. They invest large sums of money in research and tooling only to find the idea is already patented or that it cannot be patented because it is actually not a new idea. The solution for avoiding this waste of time and money is a preliminary patent search. By using this book, you can rapidly learn how to tap into the remarkable facilities that are available today and find a quick and low cost answer to the question of whether to go ahead or abandon an idea.

The amazing beauty of some of these information sources is that you can reach them from your home, your desk at work, or at a nearby library. Even if you feel you are computer illiterate, "a dinosaur", you'll find the author's step by step instructions will enable you to find a gold mine of information pertaining to your invention.

The author starts out with an overview that clarifies the differences between various intellectual properties such as patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. He notes it is important to overcome the common misconception that patent owners can count on law enforcement agencies to defend their patents. The government will not. A patent is not a defensive legal right, but rather an offensive legal right. It is you that must sue infringers.

He then discusses some of the patent searching basic principles and tools. He simply and clearly presents how electronic databases now allow you to extract and examine patent data. He covers the basics, such as keywords, wildcards, and Boolean logic in an easy to understand steps accompanied by pictures that show you exactly how the information will appear on your computer screen.

After you become at home with the fundamental methods, you are introduced to advanced methods that you can use on the PTO and EPO (European Patent Office) Websites. He explains, in plain English, how to use the XOR Boolean operator, proximity operators and how to use wildcards. The author even shows you how to translate sections of foreign patents online, at no cost. You will be pleasantly surprised as to how soon these arcane sounding terms and methods become old friends. Again, in each case, examples and their screen images will aid you to grasp what is going on.

While computer searching on the Internet has become a terrific starting point, the author stresses the continuing importance of using the facilities of the Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDL) that are available throughout the nation (addresses and phone numbers are given in the appendix).

The writer details how using and understanding the patent office patent classification system will greatly aid your search efforts. This involves using the Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System, the Manual of Classification, and the Classification Definitions. He gives examples and reproductions taken directly from these books.

Some inventors make the mistake of failing to check non-patent office sources for prior art. The use of the Google Internet search engine is described and the addresses for several other search engines are given. Another basic source for information is the Thomas Register which is now also on the WWW. The use of government agencies is also covered. Yet another tool covered, are the many discussion group Websites.

At the conclusion, the author gives suggestions for analyzing your search results. He notes it is common to come up with a half a dozen prior art patents and cites the four Patent Office criteria regarding Statutory Class, Utility, Novelty, and Unobvious. He notes the mental trap inventors often fall into by thinking "that if an aspect of your invention hasn't been "claimed" in a prior patent, you can claim it."

This is a terrific, up-to-date, book for learning how to do a preliminary patent search at a very low cost.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horribly Outdated, May 28, 2009

By 

The Black Pearl - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Patent Searching Made Easy: How to Do Patent Searches on the Internet and in the Library, Second Edition (Paperback)

(PLEASE NOTE: I have been advised that there is a newer up to date version. So I guess the lesson here is to make sure you buy it and not the older one.)

Last week my girlfriend dug this book out of the trash and set it on top of the microwave. She thought it must have fallen into the trash by mistake. She could not imagine that I, of all people, would ever throw a book away. I practically worship books. But not this one. I told her I had thrown it away to prevent anyone else from wasting their time - at least on that copy. I strongly urge others to do the same if they have a copy.

This book may have served a purpose 10 years ago (when most people had no idea how to use the internet and maybe you needed 120 pages to explain it to you) but now its worse than useless - its a complete waste of time. Unless Google is a complete mystery to you or you need some paper to get a fire going don't waste your money.

You'll find everything you need to know on the subject at:

[...]

Will you be making a trip to a USPTO Deposit Library now that all their records can be viewed online in the comfort of your favorite chair? If not then the second half of the book is useless too.

Please help me eradicate this book from the face of the Earth.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New, updated version of an excellent resource, January 23, 2006

By 

ChicagoDon (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patent Searching Made Easy: How to Do Patent Searches on the Internet and in the Library, Third Edition (Paperback)

With the constant improvement in computer resources available to the inventor who wants to do his own patent searching, an updated version of this fine book is a welcome sight. Observe the dates on reviews of this book to see that those citing a need for an update are old and should be dismissed.
The patent literature is an excellent resource for researchers or inventors to learn what has been done in their field of endeavor. Professional inventors use the patent literature to spark their own ideas. Surprise! -- That is the intended purpose of our patent system -- "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts...." Learning how to access this resource is useful to all involved in improving our technology.