On September 21, IPLAC Patent Agents Committee member, patent agent, and search professional, Debra Bruce presented “Patent Search Basics for Your Patent Project: Why Patent Searching Is Important and What Makes a Good Patent Search.”
Attendees learned about the standards and expectations for common types of patent searches as well as the various search tools and patent databases available for use. Ms. Bruce further explored important elements of a comprehensive search history and how to best communicate with a patent searcher to yield optimal results for a patent search project.
Ms. Bruce led the attendees through an example patent search and provided sample search histories for comparison and discussion, encouraging the group to use the ideas learned to identify areas for improvement.