Basic Search Now Available

 Better late than never, some might point out: a new basic search mode for Patent Public Search, or PPUBS, was released mid-December. It wasn't given much publicity or announced before it was released, which led to a bit of confusion during a consultation here at the Kelley Center (the email announcement arrived a day or two later). 

At first glance, it appears fairly intuitive, if more similar to an advanced search one might see in a library catalog (like Fondren's) or a database/platform (like JSTOR). 

The new Patent Public Search Basic

Below the quick lookup for patent publication numbers, each search box has a drop-down menu with a fairly short list of common fields that don't require formatting like a suffix. Between the two search entry boxes is the drop-down menu of Boolean operators AND, OR, NOT. XOR and proximity operators have been excluded, which is understandable for a basic mode.

The brief set of query building instruction next to the search is about as long as possible for a basic mode, but it lacks explanation (or a link to one) of how Boolean operators work, which many people need.

A few guidelines for building search queries

It is a strong start on a new design for a more basic, user-friendly search, but lacks a few key features that may alienate users:

1. Only two search entry fields are available. Users cannot add more. This restricts searching, and will probably lead to lengthy, overwhelming results lists (high recall, low precision).
   
2. There is no clear way to download, save, or print a list of search results. I am frequently asked if it is possible to download results lists in Excel-friendly formats. Many people want to use Excel to refine or organize results, rather than changing search queries. This tool's limitation to two search term boxes may make organizing or refining results in another program necessary. Furthermore, keeping track of searches and results is extremely important in any patent search, basic or advanced. 

   

   Over 27,000 results is a lot to review without tools to organize or refine
   

3. There are no refining options once results are returned. Usually, this is not problematic in a simple search mode, but here it is. Without some basic limitation options at the start--specifically to search within the databases of patent application or granted patents post-1970--it means novice searchers could be confused about what results are for patents versus patent applications. I particularly dislike the inability to change how the list is ordered. Post-search refinements like these are usually the same in both simple/basic and advanced search modes.

Fondren's OneSearch provides results refinement, left side, in both simple and advanced modes

These are three primary problems that immediately stand out.

 

My verdict: I would not recommend using the new basic search for discovery or research. It seems most useful for finding patents the user already knows, and then with document number, inventor, assignee, or other specific information from the searchable fields. It is a poorly constructed tool for comprehensive searching.

The USPTO released this version in response to requests. While I understand that Patent Public Search, released last February, may initially have been overwhelming, it isn't any worse than previous advanced patent search tools from the USPTO. Presently, the new basic mode's primary advantage is its appearance--one markedly similar to other search tools. 

Maybe Fondren User Experience could provide a few pointers? Let's hope some improvements are made down the line.