How to Do a Patent Search For New Inventors and Students

Have you ever gotten a cool toy or seen an interesting gadget and wondered how or who created it? When someone invents a new toy or gadget, they usually get a patent for it. A patent is a way that inventors can protect their ideas.

Do a Patent Search

Would you like to see a real patent? You can! Finding patents is almost like being a detective. A patent search is something that all inventors have to do before they can patent their invention. It lets inventors find out if anyone else has ever invented the same invention.

Another benefit is that conducting a patent search is also a great way to find out about the history of old inventions.

Different Ways To Patent Search For Inventions

Here are three tutorials on the three basic ways to conduct a patent search. Remember these are introductory tutorials, and not a substitute for an advanced or professional patent search.

• Patent Search by Patent Number: This is the easiest way to find out about an invention!
• Patent Search by the Inventor's Name: This sometimes requires a little detective work, but you can do it!
• Patent Search Using Words: This is the most challenging and fun way to look for inventions!