No patent search is foolproof. “No patent search, however thorough, is foolproof. There is always a risk that pertinent patents will not be identified. You must balance budget constraints against the extensiveness of the search. In general, the more extensive the search, the more expensive the search will be to conduct, and the more expensive it will be to analyze all of the patents identified.” (Rose Thiessen, “What are the hidden patent infringement risks associated with a company's launch of products?,” San Diego Business Journal, May 1, 2006)
If you choose to conduct a patent search on your own rather than use a professional, you may miss things. “If you conduct a patent search yourself, it’s free for the asking. The patent attorney or agent is a trained professional, however, and well worth the investment. When conducting your own search, you may miss some prior art references from the area you’re searching. You may also miss foreign patent applications or recently issued patents that have not been placed in the specific search files.” (Pamela Riddle Bird, PhD, Founder and CEO of Innovative Product Technologies, Inc. and author of Inventing for Dummies, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2004, p. 32) How much does a patent search cost?
Do you have questions about conducting patent searches? If you do, you may wish to contact Inventors Workshop International (IWI). IWI is one of the nation's oldest nonprofit inventor help organizations. It has been helping inventors patent inventions for more than 35 years. The organization provides personal mentoring and one-on-one counseling assistance. IWI has a special PatentSaver program for member inventors to help save money on the costs of patenting inventions. You can contact Inventors Workshop by email, by phone (805-879-1729) or visit Patent-Help-for-Inventors.org.
Consider using a patent search firm to save on attorney fees. “If you want to save lawyer fees and mark-ups, consider going directly to a patent search firm. Searchers are best found through inventor grapevines, inventor associations, or university intellectual property departments.” (Richard C. Levy, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cashing in on Your Inventions, The Penguin Group USA Inc., New York, 2002, 7th printing, p. 148)
