Keywords worksheet

Keyword worksheet for patent prior art search

For computer searching for prior art, you must try to think of the right keywords that others might use to describe your invention. The reasons I says Others is that you are searching for patents or publications that others have written that may describe parts of your invention. Note that names change over time and many people use different words to describe things than you do. Also many inventors use non-standard names or words in their patents which makes finding the patent difficult.

what is the general name of your invention? ________________

What are synonyms for this name(s)? ___ (also include any alternate spelling or misspelling or singular/plural or bases/prefix/suffixes))

_________________ or __________ or ___________________ or _____________________

You could try using the thesauruses below:

http://thesaurus.reference.com/

You might want to do a patent search with just these general words to see what other synonyms others have used in their patents.

Also, you can search for Trademarks, but make sure you find the product names (nouns) the trademarks describe.
For example, Rollerblades TM is a trademark for "in-line skates". Therefore you should search for "Rollerblades or in-line skates".

Think of some keywords that describe the key or new elements of your invention.

1st Key element or concept 1) ________________ (now brainstorm for synonyms) _______ or ____ or ______ or_____

do this for several key elements

2nd Key element or concept 1) ________________ (now brainstorm for synonyms) _________ or_________ ____ or ______ or_____

3rd Key element or concept 1) ________________ (now brainstorm for synonyms) ________________ or ____ or ______ or_____

4th.. 5th.. etc.

another way to get keywords is to think of words that describe the problem your invention solves.

Now you can convert your keywords into a search string to use in a search engine/database

Now you can put together a "boolean" or "AND/OR" search in google patents or uspto seach engine :

1st keywords and synonyms

(________________ OR __________ OR ______________ ) AND

Keyword #! synonym synonym

( ______________ OR ______________ OR _________) AND

Keyword 2 synonym synonym

(_________________ OR _______ OR_____________) AND ......

Keyword 3 synonym synonym

Example -

For example, for an invention for a "training wheels" for rollerblades :

What are synonyms for this name(s)? ___ (also include any alternate spelling or misspellings or singular/plural or bases/prefix/suffixes)

Rollerblades ______ or in-line skates ___ or inline skates

1st Key element or concept 1) training wheels ____ (now brainstorm for synonyms) auxiliary wheels ____ or parallel wheels _ or ______

For the problem the invention solves: Balance or falling or training or learning or beginning, etc..

You can use the google or USPTO patent databases to search: (note for google use an upper case "OR")

(rollerblade OR in-line OR inline or skate OR skates) and ("trainning wheel" OR "trainning wheels" OR "auxiliary wheels")

Click here for the google result or click here for thumbnail images of the seach results

Turns out that there are many patents showing various training wheels for in-line skates. Probably have to read these patents carefully. Also need to look at the patents cited by the close patents and the patents issued after the close patents that cite close patents. (e.g, forward and reverse references)

Example Keyword worksheet

(______________ OR _______________ OR ______________ OR __________________OR _ ________________________OR __ ________________ )AND

Keyword #! synonym synonym

(______________ OR _______________ OR ______________ OR __________________OR _ ________________________OR __ ________________ )AND

Keyword #! synonym synonym

(______________ OR _______________ OR ______________ OR __________________OR _ ________________________OR __ ________________ )AND

Keyword #! synonym synonym

William John Stoffel Esq.

Patent and IP Law