How would you describe depth in patent searching? Inspection of a large number of references? Coverage of wide and broad-ranging CPC and IPC headings? Searches through high level IPC/CPC headings?
How would you describe depth in patent searching?
For the purposes of this article, depth will be described as starting from a point in the search and exploring further into that area. That area is where we expect the patent to reside. It could be a CPC or IPC heading. It follows a single path deeper into that area. This doesn’t apply to a CPC heading that can be inspected in full. However, there are headings that are just too vast to search such as commerce headings (G06Q 30) and container headings (B65D). There are many more examples of subject matter areas being too large to search completely. Instead of spreading the search in a shallow manner across many areas that the invention may be indexed, try adding depth by fully exploring the area where the invention should reside.
Instead of spreading the search in a shallow manner across many areas that the invention may be indexed, try adding depth by fully exploring the area where the invention should reside
Steps
1. Find out where the invention should reside, IPC/CPC headings.
2. Run the numbers to see what can be feasibly searched.
3. Start with targeted keyword searches in the closest CPC heading through TI/AB/CLMS, if it can’t eventually be searched in full.
4. Add depth by removing a concept/feature to search further into the TI/AB/CLMS heading.
5. Extend the search into the full text, initially with main concepts in close proximity.
6. Extend further by giving some space to the concepts in the search query.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 using corresponding IPC headings.
8. Write out the problem-solution of the invention. Start searching that in the full-text, relying less on specific features for keyword terms. i.e. what is the purpose of the main feature? What will it accomplish? What is the effect/advantage of the feature?
9. We are now fairly deep into the heading although it has not been searched fully. We can still go further by expanding the search to higher level IPCs. For CN searches especially, it’s advantageous to search the corresponding /00 heading. You may need to add another concept string to refine the results set.
Although a fairly deep search has been conducted in the area the patent should reside. There is still a chance that further art could be found.
Further steps
1. Combine known assignees in the product area with the IPC/CPC headings of where the invention should reside.
2. Search certain countries only for the known IPC/CPC headings.
From here it is possible to go to other areas that the invention may reside. Try a broad ranging semantic search to identify these areas and then search, but with more targeted keywords.
Shubana Baarsch | Patent Analyst | Baarsch IP | 23 Years Experience | baarschip.com