Patent Research

Patent Research Patterns

Patent Databases

Primary Databases

Database Selection Guide

Quick prior art check → Google Patents
US freedom-to-operate → USPTO + Google Patents
European clearance → Espacenet
International PCT → WIPO PatentScope
Landscape analysis → Lens.org (free) or Derwent (paid)
Academic + patent combined → Lens.org

Search Strategy

Keyword Development

1. Core concept — describe the invention in plain language
2. Synonyms — every term the examiner might use
3. Technical terms — field-specific nomenclature
4. Functional terms — what it does (not what it is)

Example: Wireless charging for EVs

Core: "wireless charging" + "electric vehicle"
Synonyms: "inductive charging", "contactless charging", "resonant charging"
Technical: "magnetic resonance", "WPT" (wireless power transfer)
Functional: "charging without cable", "charging while parked"

Classification Codes

Use CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) to find related patents:

Search process:
1. Go to Google Patents
2. Search keyword
3. Note CPC codes on relevant results
4. Filter search by CPC code to find entire class

Common CPC groups:
G06F — Digital computing
H04W — Wireless communication networks
A61B — Diagnostic/surgical instruments
B60L — Electric propulsion for vehicles

Boolean Search Construction

USPTO Full Text Search:
SPEC/(("machine learning" OR "neural network" OR "deep learning") 
AND ("fraud detection" OR "anomaly detection"))
AND APD/20200101->20240101

Google Patents:
"machine learning" "fraud detection" (neural OR deep) before:2024 after:2019
assignee:Google OR assignee:Meta

Espacenet CQL:
ta="machine learning" AND ta="fraud detection" AND pd=[20200101 TO 20241231]

Patent Anatomy

Key Patent Sections

Reading Claims

Independent claim (broadest):
"A method comprising:
  receiving, by a processor, input data;
  applying, by the processor, a neural network to the input data;
  generating an output classification."

Dependent claim (narrower):
"The method of claim 1, wherein the neural network comprises
  at least three hidden layers."

Claim elements to note:
- Preamble: "A method" / "A system" / "A device"
- Transition: "comprising" (open, can add elements) vs
              "consisting of" (closed, no additional elements)
- Body: each limitation narrows the claim

Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Analysis

FTO Process

1. Define the product/process being cleared
   - Document each technical feature
   - Note materials, methods, configurations

2. Identify relevant patents
   - Search by keyword + classification
   - Search by assignee (competitors)
   - Search by inventor

3. Screen for live patents
   - Check legal status (expired, active, abandoned)
   - US patents expire 20 years from filing
   - Maintenance fees required (3.5, 7.5, 11.5 years)

4. Claim chart analysis
   - Map each claim element to your product
   - Literal infringement: element-by-element match
   - Doctrine of equivalents: substantially same function/way/result

5. Determine risk level
   - High: all elements read on your product
   - Medium: some elements read, design-around possible
   - Low: clear non-infringement argument

6. Document opinion
   - Written FTO opinion from patent attorney (privilege)

Claim Chart Template

Patent: US10,XXX,XXX
Claim 1: "A method comprising..."

| Claim Element | Your Product Feature | Reads On? | Notes |
|---------------|---------------------|-----------|-------|
| receiving input data | API endpoint receives JSON | YES | Literal |
| applying neural network | ML model inference | YES | Literal |
| generating classification | Returns label/score | YES | Literal |

Overall: Potential infringement — consult attorney

Patent Landscape Analysis

Landscape Report Components

1. Filing trends — volume over time, growth areas
2. Top assignees — who owns the most patents
3. Key inventors — prolific individual inventors
4. Geographic coverage — where patents are filed
5. Technology clustering — CPC code distribution
6. Citation analysis — foundational/influential patents
7. White spaces — areas with few patents (opportunities)

Visualization Tools

• Lens.org → built-in charts, free
• PatSnap → commercial landscape maps
• Tableau/Python → custom visualizations from exported data

# Lens.org bulk export → Python analysis
import pandas as pd
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

df = pd.read_csv('lens_export.csv')
df['year'] = pd.to_datetime(df['Filing Date']).dt.year

# Filing trend
df.groupby('year').size().plot(kind='bar', title='Patent Filings by Year')
plt.savefig('filing_trend.png')

# Top assignees
df['Assignee'].value_counts().head(20).plot(kind='barh')
plt.savefig('top_assignees.png')

IP Strategy Decisions

Build vs. License vs. Design Around

Patent Filing Decision Checklist

• Is the invention novel (new)?
• Is it non-obvious to someone skilled in the field?
• Is there utility / commercial application?
• Do we have a written description + claims ready?
• Have we done a patentability search?
• Do we want US only or PCT international filing?
• Is a provisional application needed to establish priority date?
• What is the budget? (US utility: $15-30K+)