Everybody is doing the patent search by his own approach. What is the best way to carryout patent search? Is it key word search or classification code search? People prefer mainly keywords for effective searching. Some people use classification codes also along with keywords for more precise patent search. For a keyword based patent search the selection of keyword is tough task. The patents are techno-legal documents and good patent attorneys draft patents using technical jargons to beguile competitors.
The first thing is for the patent search is to define the invention which is looking for. I t gives the clear view about the patents to the searcher which he is looking for. After understanding the invention the next step is the selection of search term. Selecting the right search term is the most critical part of the search strategy. The key points should remember that what term should contain the search results to define the invention. These terms should not be very common terms for patents. Selecting the common terms for patent search gives a lot of junk in search results which makes difficult to identify the relevant patents. Being very specific is also gives only limited search results; which results to miss a lot of relevant patents.
The advisable is the breakdown of the invention into elements and identification of synonyms, acronyms and related terms. The better word would be identification of analogous terms for this. Technical jargons are also compulsory while conducting keywords search. The analogous terms selection should be based on its relevancy to the invention appearing in patents. Some times an analogous term gives very vague search results. So it would be better to quick relevancy check of appearing patents using that analogous term. The US and British spelling variations also should be considered during selection of keywords. The abbreviations and plural forms also should be considered for better keyword search. The use of broader class is also important for effective keyword searching.
So it is useful to start a web search which gives basic idea of the invention and a clue for the selection of right key words to search the relevant keywords. You may begin a very preliminary patent search by writing down all the words you can think of that describe your invention and can refine to formulate the final search string based on from high recall to high precision.
Ramesh Verma
Mob no. - +91 9392498492
vermaramesh@gmail.com
Tags: key word, keyword, keywords, patent, patent search, patent searching, search, searching
