Design patent Search 

Design patent Search is the outlook of an article, whether two-dimensional or three-dimensional, and only protects the appearance of the article that relates to the shape, structure, outline, ornament, composition of lines, or color of the article, rather than it’s structural or utility features. 

Design patents protect this physical or visual representation of a product. The design patent search is conducted to identify the risk of infringement or to search for competitors that are using similarly designed products in the market. The design patent search is performed using different databases and covers novel ornamental aspects of a product.

The USPTO patent search publishes design patents online in a searchable database, but it’s hard to find older ones. You can also use Google patent search or the USPTO’s website to search for old design patents.

Purpose of design search 

A Design patent Search is conducted before filing for registration of the design. Design patent search is performed by searching for similarities between any prior registered designs and the design in question. Further, a design patent search is conducted to ascertain whether the design in question meets the criteria for protection, that is, the novelty of individual characters, whether it infringes earlier rights or not, or whether similar or identical designs are already registered. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct regular searches and also observe the market even after the registration of your design.

Design patent search helps distinguish your goods from that of the competitors and refrains the infringers from using your design for the other articles for which the design has not been registered or industrially applied. This search helps you choose a different design than the already registered design to save you from the unnecessary cost of any future infringement suits.

Process for design patent search 

Industrial products or handicraft items that are used in trade can conflict with your design, so it is advisable that before applying, a design patent search for identical or similar designs has to be conducted to further protect your design. 

Design patent search is conducted using various databases or internet search engines. The most useful databases are Google patents search and USPTO patent search by name. 

How to search the USPTO database for old design patents

The USPTO database provides several ways to search for patents. The most basic search method is by USPTO patent search by name, patent number, and year, but you can also search by assignee or country.

Searching by patent number and year: Enter the patent number in the field labeled “Patent Number” (this should be in numerical format) and select or enter its year of issue from the dropdown menu below it. Then press “Search.” You will be presented with a list of patents issued during that time that contain your search terms–in this case, both “design” and “patent.” Select one from this list to see details about that particular design patent application or issuance.*

Searching by assignee: Click on “Assignee(s) Only” under “Type Of Document Search”. This will narrow down your results so they only include documents related to companies rather than individuals who hold patents.* * * Searching by country: If you know where your invention was patented (e.g., Germany), then enter it into this field instead of entering any other information such as assignees or filing dates.*

Google Patent Search

Google Patent Search is a free patent search tool that allows you to search for design patents. You can also use Google Patent Search to find the original patent application, which is helpful if you want to see how the design was first conceived. 

Google also allows users to refine their searches based on keywords or phrases from the description portion of each patent application, which includes drawings as well as written descriptions of inventions described therein.

Google Patent Search is quick and easy to use. Simply enter your search terms into their box and click “Search” for results!

USPTO patent search 

To perform a search through the USPTO patent search, you can look up patents that were published before the date you want to check. You can use either the USPTO’s searchable database or its advanced search function.

The basic steps for searching for a USPTO patent search

Search by patent number, or browse by category (e.g., clothing), search by keyword(s) of interest (e.g., “dress”), search by inventor name(s) or assignee name(s), and search USPTO patent search by name. 

Check your results for related patents using the links provided on each page of results; these may include similar designs from other inventors/assignees who filed their applications on the same date as yours!

Historical patent search 

If you’re looking for well-known inventions, you can check with Google patent search or the USPTO patent search.

The USPTO maintains a database of patents that are available to search online. However, if you want to do a detailed search of all patents granted since 1790 (and not just those published within the last few years), this option is not ideal because it requires payment of fees based on how many pages of documents have been scanned into their system and how many images are included in each document page scanned. This can add up quickly!

Cost of a patent design search

Now, How much does it cost to do a patent design search? The cost of a design patent search depends on the number of patents you want to check. If you only need to check a few patents, then it’s possible to do so without paying anything. For example, Google’s Patent service provides free access to all published U.S. patent documents (note: this does not include design patents). You can also do a free design patent search on the USPTO website by searching for keywords related to your invention in their database; however, this method may not give accurate results because many people submit incomplete or incorrect information when filing their applications with us–so don’t rely solely on these tools if they don’t give what seems like good results!

Free design patent search 

Design patent search report results are based on citation, keywords, owner/assignee-based search, and similarity-based search. For obvious reasons, design patent search is different from utility patent searching and may not be accurately searched using mere keywords. Therefore, there are certain free design patent search databases that search for similar designs. Some of these are the USPTO design patent search, the Design Database, the Chinese Design Database, the Hague Express Structured Search for WIPO, the Google patent search, and others.

Our team of advanced patent attorneys assists clients with patent searches, drafting patent applications, and patent (intellectual property) agreements, including licensing and non-disclosure agreements.

Advocate Rahul Dev is a Patent Attorney & International Business Lawyer practicing Technology, Intellectual Property & Corporate Laws. He is reachable at rd (at) patentbusinesslawyer (dot) com & @rdpatentlawyer on Twitter.

Quoted in and contributed to 50+ national & international publications (Bloomberg, FirstPost, SwissInfo, Outlook Money, Yahoo News, Times of India, Economic Times, Business Standard, Quartz, Global Legal Post, International Bar Association, LawAsia, BioSpectrum Asia, Digital News Asia, e27, Leaders Speak, Entrepreneur India, VCCircle, AutoTech).

Regularly invited to speak at international & national platforms (conferences, TV channels, seminars, corporate trainings, government workshops) on technology, patents, business strategy, legal developments, leadership & management.

Working closely with patent attorneys along with international law firms with significant experience with lawyers in Asia Pacific providing services to clients in US and Europe. Flagship services include international patent and trademark filings, patent services in India and global patent consulting services.

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