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Do a Prior Art Search
Ward Law Office does not charge for initial consultations. If you have a question, do not hesitate to contact us via the below form. Our office will then be in touch with you as soon as possible.
Do a Prior Art Search
Hello! In our previous videos we discussed the first two steps an inventor should consider before filing a patent application.
Those steps are:
In this video, we will discuss the third step.
Conducting a Prior Art Search
Basically, do some due diligence on your invention and ask the question:
Is my invention really new?
This is not a legal requirement but it might save you the expense of filing a patent application on an invention that is doomed to be rejected by the patent office.
Also, assuming that the invention is in fact new, a good search will allow you to write a much better patent application. One that focuses on the problems of the prior art and the solution that is your invention.
Doing a general search of the internet using any search engine is a great start to an informal patent search. Ask yourself the question:
Is my invention different in any way compared to any single product I’m able to find? Conduct keyword searches relating to your invention and review what is returned. If you are unable to find any page that describes all of the features of your invention then you are arguably new.
The US Patent and Trademark Office operates a patent database, which can be a great search tool, but you must first understand their code to make it most effective.
Another free patent database is operated by the Google company. It uses the standard Google interface and can be a very effective tool.
If you’re not comfortable doing your own patent search, or in reviewing any search results, know that professionals are available to help. The advantage to using a professional is that you can cover more ground, much more quickly.
We trust this information has been helpful. As always, the professionals at Ward Law Office are available to answer any questions you might have about patents, trademarks or copyrights.
WARD LAW OFFICE LLC
120 1/2 S. Washington Street
Suite 207
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
419-408-5500
Contact
Ward Law Office LLC does not charge for initial consultations. If you have a question, do not hesitate to contact us via the below form. Our office will then be in touch with you as soon as possible.
Jacob “Jake” M. Ward is a registered patent attorney admitted to practice in the State of Michigan, before the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan, and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also registered as a patent agent, non-resident, in Canada.
Mr. Ward received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Dayton and a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Toledo, College of Law. At the University of Toledo, Mr. Ward was also awarded a certificate of concentration in Intellectual Property Law.
Mr. Ward is also the founding author of the Anticipate This!™ | Patent and Trademark Law Blog, which provides light commentary on the practice of patent law, trademark law, and science & technology.
Invention Disclosure Form
Ward Law Office LLC invites you to use our proprietary Invention Disclosure system to submit invention details to our law firm. There is no cost to use this system. All submissions through the system are secure and treated as confidential. If you would like to use the Invention Disclosure system, please request a password by sending us a message via the Contact form, or by calling our Ohio office at 419-408-5500 or our Michigan office at 248-579-2197.
Firm At A Glance
Management/Legal
| Jacob M. Ward | Founding Member |
| Amy E. Rinaldo | Managing Attorney |
| William A. Ziehler, PhD | Managing Attorney |
| Chip Dusseau | Managing Attorney |
Attorneys/Legal
Business/Legal Services
Administration/Accounting
| Kristi Ward | Firm Administrator |
| Craig Watson | Accounting Assistant |
| Amanda Gallatin | Accounting Assistant |