Patent search

In the globalized, extremely competitive world of the Age of Knowledge, science, technology, and commerce became essential characteristics for economic growth and success. Thus, it is essential for the progress of organizations and countries to know how to manage the set of strategic pieces of information available.

The patent documentation is the most complete out of the research sources. Studies reveal that 70% of the technological information in such documents are not available in any other type of source of information. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO, the number of patent applications is about 2.5 million every year, which results in about 1.2 million patents granted each year. Companies in the United States, in Asia, and in Europe increasingly use this instrument as a strategic input of critical importance in their competitive activities, such as: development of new technologies, monitoring of competitors, identification of technological trends, investments. It is worth mentioning that patent document means the patents that have already been granted, as well as patent applications that have not been examined yet.

Both already granted patents and patent applications still pending examination include technological information that may be useful for inventors, businessmen, and research institutions. Such documents, national and foreign, are made available in patent databases that may be accessed online. Searching such databases is very important in the initial stage of development of a good and/or process, in order to avoid unnecessary expenditures of time and resources. The results may reveal that an invention is not new, as well as the existence of other technical solutions.

The inventor may use the search in patent documents in order to assess the possibility for a patent to be granted for his invention and/or to identify the possible forms of protection. The documents selected may also be very helpful when writing the patent application.

In order to help those interested in searching in the patent documents, we have provided in our portal guides with the step by step of the search, both in INPI’s database and in some international databases.

You may ask questions by contacting us through the Fale Conosco (Contact Us) system, by selecting Informação Tecnológica (Technological Information) as subject.

The search may be carried out free of charge online, with the Busca Web (Web Search) (INPI’s patent database) and in international databases.

PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR PATENT SEARCH:  Access our Patent Search guides, with two options available: básica (basic) and avançada (advanced). There is a module about specific searches by chemical compounds in free databases. You may carry out patent searches online by yourself free of charge!