Patent search is a systematic review of existing patents, applications and other public disclosures to check whether an invention is already known before filing. Skipping it risks paying full filing and drafting fees for an application that has little chance of being granted.

Free tools like Google Patents, USPTO Patent Public Search and the European Patent Office's Espacenet let anyone search patent databases by keyword, inventor or classification code. Professional searches go further, checking non-patent literature and international filings that a basic keyword search alone typically misses.

Yes, Google Patents, USPTO Patent Public Search and WIPO's PATENTSCOPE are all free to use and cover most major patent databases worldwide. They're a reasonable first step, though a professional search adds coverage of non-patent literature and classification-based search that free tools handle less well.

A patent database is a searchable collection of patent filings, typically organised by keyword, inventor, assignee, filing date and technology classification. Major examples include the USPTO's own database, Google Patents, Espacenet and WIPO's PATENTSCOPE.

USPTO Patent Public Search is the official free tool for searching US patents and published applications by keyword, classification code, inventor or assignee. It replaced the USPTO's older PatFT and AppFT search tools and covers the full US patent database.

Google Patents is a free search tool covering patent filings from the USPTO and many international patent offices, searchable by keyword much like a standard Google search. It's a common starting point for an informal search, though it's not a substitute for a professional prior art search before filing.

A prior art search specifically looks for evidence that an invention was already known before the filing date, through earlier patents, publications, products or public demonstrations. It's the core step used to assess whether an invention is genuinely novel.

Prior art is any evidence that an invention was publicly disclosed before the filing date, including patents, academic papers, product manuals, websites and public demonstrations, regardless of country or industry. An invention can't be patented if it's fully disclosed in a single piece of prior art.

Common examples of prior art include a previously granted patent describing the same mechanism, a product manual or datasheet already on the market, an academic paper published years earlier, or even a conference presentation or product demo. Prior art doesn't need to come from the same industry to count against novelty.

A novelty search is a prior art search focused specifically on whether an invention is new enough to be patentable, typically conducted before filing to assess risk and shape claim strategy. It's narrower in scope than a full freedom-to-operate search, which also checks infringement risk.

A novelty search involves searching patent databases, academic literature and commercial products using both keywords and technology classification codes, then comparing what's found against the specific features of the invention. Professional searchers combine multiple databases and search strategies, since a single keyword search alone typically misses relevant prior art.

A patent novelty search is used before filing to assess whether an invention meets the novelty requirement, and its results directly shape how claims are drafted to distinguish the invention from what already exists. It's a risk-reduction step, not a guarantee that an application will be granted.