How we search

We search worldwide documentation to help us to decide whether patent applications are new or obvious.

Most of our searching is performed online using specialist patent databases but we also use a wide variety of other technical, non-patent databases.

Our searches are performed by patent examiners, who are experts in their fields. We currently have around 250 patent examiners who are all educated to Bachelor degree level at least in science, engineering or maths.

Search tools

Our primary search tool is EPOQUENet, a search tool developed by the European Patent Office (EPO). EPOQUENet gives us access to many technical databases including patent documents, technical journals, classification schemes and standards. Our examiners also have access other electronic search tools which they are able to use if they consider it appropriate.

The patent databases we search include Derwent’s World Patent Index® and EPODOC, an EPO database. The databases include a very wide and comprehensive collection of patent documents from all over the world, notably those published throughout Europe, the USA and Japan - EPODOC includes the Patent Abstracts of Japan (JAPIO/PAJ). We use enhanced translation software to increase our ability to consider foreign language documents.

Other specialist databases include BIOSIS®, ELSEVIER®, IBM® Technical Disclosure Bulletin, INSPEC® and MEDLINE®. We also use the internet to search commercially available information and other non-patent databases.

We use a range of patent classification systems to target relevant documents within separate technological fields. We are able to search using many patent classification schemes including the International Patent Classification (IPC), European Classification (ECLA), US Patent classification and the Japanese FI/FT classification terms.

Quality

Our use of such a broad range of databases means that we are confident in the thoroughness of our searches. We have a quality-assessment programme that samples applications throughout processing.

We believe that using leading edge search tools results in high quality searches and granted patents that have a high degree of validity, a claim supported by ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Timeliness

We conduct our searches quickly, aiming to complete them within 4 months of request.