To determine whether your invention is patentable, its features must be compared with patents in related technical fields, or “prior art”. Mr. Germinario conducts your patent search of the prior art using various databases, focusing on prior patents that are most relevant to your invention. He then analyzes whether any of them covers the critical features of your invention or whether their features can be combined in an obvious way to do so. If neither applies, you have a potentially patentable invention.
A favorable patent search and opinion is a necessary checkpoint before your time and resources are committed to preparing and filing a patent application. It is also essential to the drafting of effective patent specifications and patent claims, since it defines the limits of the prior art against which your invention will be compared and judged.
