On February 1st, the USPTO released their new patent search program, Patent Public Search, which is slated to replace all previous patent searching tools—the PatFT (Patent Full-Text and Image Database), AppFT (Patent Application Full Text and Image Database), PubEAST and PubWEST.
If you’ve used any of these before, you might be surprised by the format. It’s a complex and sophisticated search tool, with many new advanced features. Before diving in, you likely want to attend a USPTO training session for both the basic and advanced levels. USPTO will host second sessions in March, and haven’t posted them on their events page (https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/events) yet.
Here’s a review of the primary new features.
- Multiple Workspaces: The search automatically opens into either two (basic) or four (advanced) workspaces (Images 1 & 2). These allow you to keep an eye on your search query, search history, results list, and patent text in the same window. You can use “gadgets” to customize your view. A number of other features are have been made possible by this configuration.
- Keypad Navigation: Move between results, screens, and workspaces with the number pad on a full-sized keyboard. This features only works with PCs and num lock.
- Document Viewer: Two views of one patent document can be opened at once, both HTML and PDF, utilizing the customized workspaces.
- Keyword in Context: This is perhaps one of the most exciting new features. Search terms can be highlighted in one or multiple color(s) in patents sections. Click the K button on the patent viewing workspace to turn it on; the viewer automatically jumps to sections with selected keywords.
- Tagging: This is the other most exciting feature. It isn’t
tagging like in social media or crowdsourcing projects, but rather a way to
select search results and view later in detail. The search results panel
automatically has 5 tagging columns (assigned numbers 1-5), with the ability to
add up to 26. Assign your own criteria to each tag column for sorting,
collating, or anything. A tagged documents view will show selected patents,
sorted by tags. It’s easy to download and save or print the tagged docs list.
- Citations: Search for citations within selected patents in tagged or search results lists. Citations can be searched forwards, backwards, or simultaneously forwards and backwards, depending the patent(s).
- Adding Notes: Append notes to the images (PDF) view. You can print notes and their context within the image version of the patent, but not part of the patent document. Notes aren’t saved with patent
documents downloaded, and must be separately printed or saved.
- Sorting: Similar to a spreadsheet, columns and rows organize search results. By default, there are 29 columns, but these can be changed, added, removed, or otherwise customized to order results by relevancy.
These features will allow much more focused results and closed investigation of patent contents within the search, removing the need to download or print as much material.
There is an issue when saving search results. At present, the only option is to copy and paste the search results into an Excel sheet. Downloading and saving in a .csv or other format or logging into an account to save search results or search history is not possible. In the training session I attended, the instructor acknowledged this was major concern. It may be addressed in later Patent Public Search updates. I particularly hope this is changed before the older tools are phased out.
Drawbacks include the need to use a Windows machine to access some of the advanced features, not being able to download results list (copy and paste only), and something of a sharp learning curve. Building search queries and learning the new advanced functions will probably take some time. It’s complex, even for those who have searched patents before and may, like me, consider themselves fairly advanced searchers.
Nonetheless, I think it’s a better tool than the PatFT in many ways. Expanded options for search operators and the ability to search effectively with keywords—not relying on Cooperative Patent Classification numbers—are my two favorite improvements! What are yours? Let us know.