Product Description

Inventor? Find out if you're the first to file a patent, online and in the library. 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.

In Patent Searching Made Easy, find the plain-English information you need to:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #168676 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 265 pages

Review
Following the instructions in this book...will help you reduce the risk inherent in developing your inventions. (George H. Morgan, Patent Agent of Morgan and Associates )

This book thoroughly explains how to search for previously issued U.S. patents, using resources available on the Internet and at PTDLs.... The explanations are helpful for both computer expert and newbie. (Booklist 20080308)

With patent searches costing anywhere from $300 to $700, this book should be a valuable aid to most inventors. (Entrepreneur )

From the Publisher
A physicist, engineer, and patent searching expert, David Hitchcock gives you the vocabulary, instructions and strategies you need to search for a patent quickly and easily. He explains how the PTO classifies different types of inventions, so that you can assign your idea to the right class, compare it to related ideas and then determine if it's novel enough to qualify for a patent.

Patent Searching Made Easy also shows you how to:
prepare for online searches with the right hardware, software and computer skills
access online patent searching resources
narrow online searches with key words and Boolean logic
perform database searches at Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs)
do microfiche searches at PTDLs
search fee-based patent databases on the Internet
search international patent offices
do advanced searches at the PTO and PTDL

Written for both inventors and business owners interested in expanding their product line through the license, distribution or manufacture of other people's ideas, Patent Searching Made Easy is the easiest way for you to determine Am I the First?

"This book thoroughly explains how to search for previously issued U.S. patents, using resources available on the Internet and at PTDLs...The explanations are helpful for both computer expert and newbie." - Booklist

About the Author
David Hitchcock is a physicist and engineer who has worked as a computer consultant on such diverse projects as the MX missile, the Milstar satellite program and advanced capability torpedoes. He has focused on patent searching and new technology for a number of years. Author of a training video on patent searching over the Internet, Mr. Hitchcock has also given presentations on the subject to inventor groups. Mr. Hitchcock is the inventor of the Home Fire Shield TM, a device to protect homes from wildfires. He is currently working to bring this product to market.

Customer Reviews

An Excellent Patent Search Reference
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.

New, updated version of an excellent resource
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.

Outstanding
Mr. Hitchcock's book has made my life a lot easier. All the info you need is right there. I'm sure you could take the time to look some of it up, but there are a lot of techniques and tricks that I never would have thought of. I especially like the Searcher's Secrets that are highlighted throughout the book.

Then there is the discussion of Usenet as a resource. Most people think that the World Wide Web (WWW) and the Internet are the same things, but that's only because browser programs make it easy to surf the Web. Hitchcock explains how to use the thousands of discussion groups on Usenet to answer specific questions.

The thing I really like the most is the chapter on the European Patent Office (EPO). If my patent search at the US Patent Office turns up some foreign patents, I can check them out online. There is even a way to translate the text of foreign patents into English for FREE! That little trick has already saved me about 10 times the cost of the book in translation fees.

Great job!