Search Prior Art

Structured prior art search → find pubs|patents|products|disclosures predating invention. Used for patentability (can patent?), validity challenge (should have been granted?), FTO (covered by existing rights?).

Use When

• Eval novelty+non-obvious pre-file
• Challenge existing patent validity → find art examiner missed
• Support FTO → find art limiting blocking patent scope
• Document defensive pub → prevent others patenting concept
• Respond to office action questioning novelty|obviousness

In

• Required: Invention desc (what, how, problem)
• Required: Purpose (patentability|invalidity|FTO|defensive)
• Required: Critical date (filing date or invention date)
• Optional: Known related patents|pubs
• Optional: Tech classification codes (IPC, CPC)
• Optional: Key inventors|companies

Do

Step 1: Decompose Invention

Break into constituent technical features.

1. Read desc (or claims if vs existing patent)
2. Extract essential elements — each independent feature:
   • Components?
   • Process steps?
   • Technical effect?
   • Problem + how solved?
3. ID novel combination — what's diff from known:
   • New element added to known?
   • New combo of known?
   • Known element new field?
4. Gen search terms per element:
   • Tech terms, synonyms, abbrev
   • Broader+narrower (hierarchy)
   • Alt descriptions
5. Doc Search Map: elements, terms, relationships

Search Map Example:
+------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------+
| Element          | Search Terms                      | Priority  |
+------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------+
| Attention layer  | attention mechanism, self-         | High      |
|                  | attention, multi-head attention    |           |
| Sparse routing   | mixture of experts, sparse MoE,   | High      |
|                  | top-k routing, expert selection    |           |
| Training method  | knowledge distillation, teacher-   | Medium    |
|                  | student, progressive training      |           |
+------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------+

→ Complete decomposition w/ terms per element. Novel combo ID'd → search must find (invalidate) or confirm absent (support novelty).

If err: too abstract → ask more specific. Claims unclear → broadest reasonable interp per element.

Step 2: Search Patent Literature

Patent DBs systematic.

1. Construct queries:
   • Each element individually first (broad)
   • Combine to find closer art (narrow)
   • Classification codes filter by tech area
2. Multi DBs:
   • Google Patents: Full-text, free, large
   • USPTO PatFT/AppFT: US patents+apps, official
   • Espacenet: EU, excellent classification
   • WIPO Patentscope: PCT, global
3. Date filters:
   • Prior art must predate critical date
   • Up to 1yr pre-filing (grace varies by jurisdiction)
4. Per relevant result record:
   • Doc number, title, filing date, pub date
   • Which elements disclosed (map to Search Map)
   • Discloses novel combo?
5. Classify by relevance:
   • X: Discloses invention alone (anticipation)
   • Y: Key elements, combinable (obviousness)
   • A: Background art

→ Classified patent ref list mapped to elements. X (if found) = showstoppers for novelty. Y = building blocks for obviousness.

If err: no relevant patent art → doesn't mean novel — non-patent (Step 3) may have critical ref. Absence in 1 DB ≠ absence everywhere.

Step 3: Non-Patent Literature

Academic, products, OSS, other.

1. Academic:
   • Google Scholar, arXiv, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library
   • Same Step 1 terms
   • Conf papers + workshop proceedings often predate patents
2. Products + commercial:
   • Product docs, manuals, marketing
   • Internet Archive (Wayback) for date-verified web
   • Trade pubs + press releases
3. OSS + code:
   • GitHub, GitLab — search impls of features
   • READMEs, docs, commit history for date evidence
   • Software releases w/ ver dates
4. Standards:
   • IEEE, IETF (RFCs), W3C, ISO
   • Standards-essential patents must be disclosed; search standard bodies' IP DBs
5. Defensive pubs:
   • IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin
   • Research Disclosure journal
   • IP.com Prior Art DB
6. Verify pub date before critical date:
   • Web: Wayback for date evidence
   • Software: release dates|commit timestamps
   • Papers: pub date not submission

→ Non-patent refs complement patent search. Academic + OSS often most powerful — describe details more explicitly than patents.

If err: non-patent sparse → tech primarily corp R&D (patent-heavy). Shift emphasis to patent + combo-based obviousness.

Step 4: Analyze + Map

Eval how art relates to invention.

1. Claim chart mapping art → elements:

Claim Element vs. Prior Art Matrix:
+------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| Element          | Ref #1 | Ref #2 | Ref #3 | Ref #4 |
+------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
| Element A        |   X    |   X    |        |   X    |
| Element B        |        |   X    |   X    |        |
| Element C        |   X    |        |   X    |        |
| Novel combo A+B+C|        |        |        |        |
+------------------+--------+--------+--------+--------+
X = element disclosed in this reference

2. Novelty: Single ref discloses all elements?
   • Yes → anticipated (not novel)
   • No → may be novel (proceed obviousness)
3. Obviousness: Few refs (2-3) combinable to cover all?
   • Motivation to combine? (skilled person sees reason?)
   • Teach away? (suggest wouldn't work?)
4. FTO: Does art narrow blocking patent claims?
   • Art overlapping blocking patent's claims limits enforceable scope
5. Document analysis w/ specific passage citations

→ Clear claim chart showing element coverage by refs, w/ novelty + obviousness assessment. Each mapping cites specific passages|figures.

If err: chart shows gaps (elements not in any art) → those = potentially novel. Focus follow-up on specific gaps.

Step 5: Document + Deliver

Package for intended use.

1. Write Prior Art Search Report:
   • Purpose + scope
   • Methodology (DBs, queries, date ranges)
   • Results summary (count, classification breakdown)
   • Top refs w/ detailed analysis (claim charts)
   • Assessment: novelty, obviousness, FTO implications
   • Limitations + further-search recommendations
2. Organize refs:
   • Sorted by relevance (X first, Y, A)
   • Each w/ full bibliographic + access link
   • Key passages highlighted|extracted
3. Recommendations by purpose:
   • Patentability: File|don't, suggested claim scope by gaps
   • Invalidity: Strongest combo, suggested legal arg
   • FTO: Risk level, design-around opportunities, licensing
   • Defensive: Whether to publish defensive disclosure based on white space

→ Complete organized report directly supporting decision. Refs accessible, analysis traceable.

If err: inconclusive (no strong X|Y, but relevant background) → state clearly: "No anticipatory art; closest addresses A+B not C. Recommend file w/ claims emphasizing C." Inconclusive valid + useful.

Check

• Invention decomposed into searchable elements
• Novel combo explicitly ID'd
• Patent DBs searched (min 2)
• Non-patent searched (academic + products + OSS)
• All refs predate critical date (verified)
• Claim chart maps elements w/ passage citations
• Novelty + obviousness assessed w/ reasoning
• Classified (X, Y, A)
• Report has methodology, limitations, recommendations
• Reproducible (queries + DBs documented)

Traps

• Keyword tunnel vision: Exact terms only misses synonyms. Use Step 1 hierarchy.
• Patent-only search: Non-patent (papers, products, code) often more explicit. Don't skip Step 3.
• Date carelessness: Must predate critical date. Brilliant ref 1 day after = worthless.
• Ignore foreign: Major inventions may first appear in CN|JP|KR|DE patents. MT makes searchable.
• Confirmation bias: Searching to confirm novelty vs to find invalidating art. Best search tries hardest to find closest.
• Stop too early: First results rarely best. Iterate based on field vocabulary revealed.

→

• assess-ip-landscape — broader landscape mapping
• screen-trademark — TM-specific (diff DBs + legal frame than patent)
• file-trademark — TM filing post-screen
• review-research — lit review methodology overlaps
• security-audit-codebase — systematic methodology parallels (thoroughness, doc, reproducibility)