How To Perform Prior Art Searches

Course Description & Learning Outcomes

When charting research and development activities, do you verify if the technology already exists and if it is owned by others? Did you know that you can detect existing similar developments or inventions by simply conducting a prior art search? Learn to conduct patent searches step-by-step, through our one-day workshop. Discover effective search strategies, apply the use of syntax to increase efficiency, and learn how to identify relevant documents via publicly available databases. Objectives You will pick up relevant knowledge and skills in: - Patentability and prior art - Patent lifecycle and publication - Introduction to some major patent systems - Anatomy of a patent document - The Art of Searching - Search methodologies Course Outline - Patentability and prior art - Patent lifecycle and publication - Introduction to some major patent systems - Anatomy of a patent document - The Art of Searching - Where to search? - Making sense of syntax - Determining the issues and the types of patent search - Choice of search terms (from an invention or a product) - Search methodologies - Commercial patent search engines - Class Exercise and Case studies