Can a patent search provide me with a definitive answer on patentability?
A patent search is not an absolute measure of patentability, and there can never be a guarantee that a search is totally conclusive. This is because the United States patent system includes more than seven million issued United States patents, and is classified in over 140,000 class/subclass schemes. although we take great care to make sure every possible classification of an invention is searched, there is always the possibility of missing a reference. Accordingly, while we make an extensive effort to assure the integrity of our work, no search can be totally conclusive. Moreover, the US patent office maintains more than a year’s worth of unpublished applications that are not searchable by the public. Finally, relevant documents can be located in non-patent literature, which we do not currently search.
A patent search is not an absolute measure of patentability, and there can never be a guarantee that a search is totally conclusive. This is because the United States patent system includes more than seven million issued United States patents, and is classified in over 140,000 class/subclass schemes. although we take great care to make sure every possible classification of an invention is searched, there is always the possibility of missing a reference. Accordingly, while we make an extensive effort to assure the integrity of our work, no patent search can be totally conclusive. Moreover, the US Patent and Trademark Office maintains more than a year’s worth of unpublished applications that are not searchable by the public. Finally, relevant documents can be located in non-patent literature, which we do not currently search.
