What cannot be patented?
Laws of nature, Physical phenomena, Abstract ideas, Inventions which are considered not useful or possible by the USPTO for example perpetual motion machines; or offensive to public morality.The Joys of Conducting a Patent Search
A patent search involves searching different databases to see if your idea has already been patented, to know if you can patent your idea. The results of a good patent search should reveal any identical, similar, or partially similar inventions to the one you might patent. As a bonus, viewing and reading already issued patents will: help you to write your patent application, help you understand your competition, help you avoid patent infringement, help you learn more about your field of inventionWhat is prior art?
Prior art is all information that has been disclosed to the public in any form about an invention before a given date. Prior art includes things like any patents related to your invention, any published articles about your invention, and any public demonstrations. prior art is "the total body of knowledge, which teaches or otherwise relates directly to an invention. This is the primary criteria in determining the patentability of a new invention. Establishes novelty and unobviousness of the art that relates to the invention in question. Prior art references include documentary sources such as patents and publications from anywhere in the world, and nondocumentary sources such as things known or used publicly."Do a Patent Search
Would you like to see a real patent ? You can! Finding patents is almost like being a detective. A patent search is something that all inventors have to do before they can patent their invention. It lets inventors find out if anyone else has ever invented the same invention. Another benefit is that conducting a patent search is also a great way to find out about the history of old inventions.Turning an Invention Idea into Money - How Do I Conduct a Patent Search for Prior Art?
A patent search is part of your search for prior art (no, not paintings.) Prior art is any body of knowledge that relates to your invention. Prior art would include previous patents, trade journal articles, publications (including data books and catalogs), public discussions, trade shows, or public use or sales anywhere in the world. As discussed previously, the search for prior art helps prove the novel and nonobvious legal conditions that are required for a patent to be granted.