International patent search is needed not only by large corporations. It matters for startups, engineers, manufacturing companies, research teams and inventors who want to protect a development, enter foreign markets or understand whether their product infringes someone else’s patent rights.
If you search only Russian databases, you may miss important foreign patents. As a result, a company may file an application for an already known solution, receive a refusal, lose time or face risks when entering the international market.
Why conduct an international patent search
A patent is valid territorially, but the technical information in patents is of global importance. Even if a patent is registered in another country, it can be an important source of information on the prior art.
Searching for patent information helps you understand:
- whether a similar invention already exists;
- whether an application can be filed;
- what solutions competitors use;
- which countries are most active in a particular field;
- which technical features have already been disclosed;
- whether there is a risk of infringing someone else’s rights;
- which areas are free for development.
International patent search is especially important before filing an application, launching production, exporting products, attracting investment and transferring technology to partners.
Checking novelty before filing a PCT application
A PCT application for international patenting is a tool that allows an applicant to start the procedure of international protection of an invention. But before filing such an application, it is important to check how new the solution really is.
If similar features have already been disclosed in foreign patents, scientific publications or applications, this may affect the prospects of patenting.
Therefore, before a PCT filing, it is important to search:
- by keywords;
- by the International Patent Classification;
- by applicants and competitors;
- by technical features;
- by patent families;
- in foreign databases.
A mistake at this stage can lead to a loss of budget. International patenting costs more than a national filing, so checking novelty before starting the procedure is a mandatory step.
Assessing risks before entering foreign markets
If a company plans to sell a product abroad, a single Russian patent is not enough. You need to understand whether there are valid third-party patents in the target country that may restrict the production, sale, import or use of the product.
For example, a Russian company has developed a device and wants to enter the market of Europe, China or the USA. Even if there are no obstacles in Russia, a competitor’s patent for a similar design or method of operation may be in force in another country.
In such cases, patent services help assess:
- freedom to operate (patent clearance);
- competitor activity;
- the geography of protection;
- the term of validity of patents;
- the technical features of protected solutions;
- the risks of claims;
- the possibility of changing the design.
International search is not a formality but a tool for protecting a business before scaling up.
How to conduct an international patent search yourself: a step-by-step algorithm
Many inventors want to know whether a patent search can be done on their own. Yes, a basic search can be done yourself. But it is important to understand that a self-conducted search helps to get an initial picture, while for a serious application filing or market entry it is better to carry out a professional analysis.
Below is a basic algorithm that will help you understand how to conduct a patent search in international databases.
Step 1: Define the key features of the invention
The first step is not to open a patent database but to describe the invention correctly. You need to identify not the marketing name but the technical essence.
For example, in the case of a new filter, it is important to determine:
- what elements it consists of;
- how the elements are connected to each other;
- what technical result is achieved;
- how it differs from known solutions;
- which features are mandatory;
- which features can be changed.
Without such an analysis, the search will be too superficial. You may search by words and miss patents in which the same solution is described in other terms.
Step 2: Select IPC classes and keywords
The IPC (International Patent Classification) helps you search not only by words but also by technical fields. This is important because the same object can be called differently in different countries and documents.
For example, a device may be called a “fixator”, “holder”, “clamp”, “fastening element” or “mounting device”. If you search for only one word, a significant part of the results will be lost.
Therefore, patent search by keywords and IPC is used. First, terms are selected in Russian and English, then the IPC classes are refined, after which the search is run using several combinations.
For international search, it is also important to take translations into account:
- English;
- German;
- French;
- Chinese;
- Japanese;
- Korean.
Here AI for translating patents from foreign languages is especially useful, because it helps you understand the content of documents faster and avoid spending time on manually translating each patent.
Step 3: Search the databases and filter the results
Several databases are used for international search.
- The WIPO Patentscope database helps you search for PCT international applications and patent documents from different countries.
- Espacenet, the European patent database, is used to search European and worldwide patent documents.
- Google Patents is convenient for international search, allowing quick searches by keywords, applicants, inventors and patent families.
National databases of the USA, China, Japan, Korea and other countries can also be used.
At this stage, it is important not just to get thousands of results but to filter them:
- by relevance;
- by publication date;
- by status;
- by country;
- by IPC;
- by applicant;
- by technical features.
This is exactly where many self-conducted searches go wrong: the user finds several similar documents and stops the analysis, although the key patent may be deeper in the results or use different terminology.
Step 4: Analyze the analogues and prepare a report
After the search, you need to study the documents found. It is important to understand which solutions are truly close to the invention and which belong to an adjacent field.
A good report answers not only the question “what was found” but also the question “what to do next”. For example, whether an application can be filed, whether the claims need to be changed, whether the design is worth refining, or whether it is better to look for another technical solution.
This is how you should understand how to carry out a patent search: it is not just a search for documents but analytical work comparing technical features.
How AI simplifies international patent search
Artificial intelligence in patent search helps speed up the stages that used to take a lot of time: translation, extraction of features, grouping of documents, comparison of analogues and preparation of a brief analysis.
AI for patent search can:
- analyze large arrays of patents;
- find documents by meaning, not only by exact words;
- translate texts from foreign languages;
- identify technical features;
- compare solutions;
- group analogues;
- find patent families;
- form initial conclusions;
- suggest relevant IPC classes.
Semantic search is especially useful. It allows you to find patents that use different wording but describe a similar technical solution.
For example, an inventor searches for a “device for water purification”, while the analogue in a patent is described as a “liquid filtration module with a multistage sorption unit”. An ordinary word search may not find such a document, but AI can identify the semantic similarity.
How “POSINT” conducts an international patent search in 15 minutes
“POSINT” helps conduct an accelerated international patent search using artificial intelligence. This is especially useful at an early stage, when you need to quickly understand whether similar solutions exist and whether to continue development or prepare an application. The service helps to:
- describe the technical essence of the solution;
- identify key features;
- select keywords and IPC;
- run a search in foreign databases;
- find relevant analogues;
- translate and briefly review foreign patents;
- compare the solutions found;
- prepare an initial report;
- assess the risks of filing an application.
It is especially important that “POSINT” saves time on initial analytics. Instead of a long manual review of databases, the user gets a structured overview and can make a decision faster.
If the initial search shows that the solution is promising, you can move on to a deeper patent research, preparation of the application, work on the claims and choice of a patenting strategy.
“POSINT” is also useful before entering foreign markets, when you need to quickly check which patents exist in the field of interest and which competitors actively protect similar solutions.
Conclusion
International patent search is a mandatory stage for inventors, startups and companies that want to protect their developments, file PCT applications, enter foreign markets or reduce the risks of infringing someone else’s patents.
A self-conducted search is possible, but it requires an understanding of technical features, the IPC, foreign databases and the rules for analyzing patent information. Artificial intelligence speeds up this process: it helps translate patents, find semantic analogues, compare features and prepare an initial report.
“POSINT” conducts an international patent search in 15 minutes and helps you quickly understand whether a development has prospects for patenting.
If you are preparing an invention for filing, planning a PCT or want to enter a foreign market, start with a search through “POSINT”. It will help save time, reduce risks and make the right decision before filing an application.