While patent rights are awarded to inventors, inventors often have little training in patents.
One recommended way to learn about the patent system is by starting at the beginning of the patent process - and develop patent searching skills. A workbook has just been published, Keyword Patent Searching Online, that provides an overview of the patent system needed to develop such searching skills, while teaching advanced keyword patent searching techniques in a concise, original, and highly readable format.
Patent searching databases have improved dramatically in the last few years. Within the next year, “a new genre of search tools are emerging that will advance Internet-based patent researching to a new level.”
The workbook presents a new approach to patent searching using keywords only to obtain professional-quality search results. The workbook makes a compelling case that searching for patents online with keywords and free databases (the USPTO and the EPO) is now the best way to do patentability searches.
The workbook features four inventions (using basic technologies) for practice. Step-by-step search solutions are provided that show how each patent is located. For more information, see http://www.keypatent.net/.