Search 50+ lakh patents across Indian and international databases. Determine novelty, check freedom to operate, analyse prior art — and get a comprehensive search report delivered within 72 hours by our patent experts.
A patent is a government-granted exclusive right allowing an inventor to control the manufacture, use, and sale of their invention in India for 20 years from the filing date. In exchange, the inventor discloses the technical details publicly — advancing the state of technology.
A patent search is the mandatory first step before any filing. It determines whether your invention is genuinely novel, avoids conflicts with existing patents, and strengthens your application. Filing without a search wastes time and money — rejected applications are common when prior art is missed.
Verifies your invention has never been disclosed, published, or patented anywhere in the world before your filing date.
Freedom to Operate search ensures your product launch doesn't infringe any active, in-force patent claims.
Patent landscape analysis reveals competitor innovations, technology trends, and white-space opportunities in your field.
Identifying blocking patents early avoids costly R&D dead-ends and application rejections later in the process.
The Indian Patents Act recognises different categories of inventions, each with specific eligibility criteria and protection duration.
The most common patent — protects new and useful inventions or improvements to existing products or processes. Covers machines, devices, compositions, and manufacturing methods.
Secures an early filing date while the invention is still being developed. Grants "Patent Pending" status for 12 months, during which a complete application must be filed.
Protects the unique visual appearance of a product — its shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation — rather than its function. Common for consumer electronics, furniture, and packaging.
Granted for new, distinct plant varieties reproduced asexually — by budding, grafting, or cutting. The inventor receives exclusive rights to prevent others from producing or selling the plant.
Different business needs call for different types of patent searches. Each serves a specific purpose in your innovation and IP strategy.
The most fundamental search — determines whether your invention is novel compared to all prior art (everything publicly known before your filing date). Examines Indian and international patent databases, scientific publications, and public disclosures. Essential before drafting and filing any patent application.
Determines whether your product or process can be commercially manufactured and sold without infringing any existing, in-force patent claims. Critical before product launch or market entry. Examines the claims of active patents — not just published applications — in all target markets.
An in-depth search for prior art that may be used to challenge the validity of an existing granted patent — either as a defence against an infringement claim or to proactively invalidate a competitor's patent. Seeks prior art that predates the patent's priority date and may have been missed during original examination.
A comprehensive analysis of all patents in a specific technology area, industry, or geography. Identifies major players, technology trends, filing patterns, white-space opportunities, and areas of high competition. Used by businesses and R&D teams for strategic planning and investment decisions.
A targeted search to locate all publicly available information — patents, publications, websites, conference papers — that may constitute prior art against a specific invention. Used both pre-filing to strengthen an application and during examination to respond to office actions from the Patent Office.
A comprehensive patent search draws from multiple databases. Relying on a single source misses relevant prior art. Our experts search across all major repositories.
Indian Patent Advanced Search System
Official database of the Indian Patent Office. Covers all Indian patent applications, granted patents, and legal status records from 1856 to present. Supports keyword, IPC code, applicant name, and application number search. Free public access.
iprsearch.ipindia.gov.in ↗World Intellectual Property Organization
Global database covering 60+ national and regional patent collections. Essential for PCT international applications and tracking patents across multiple countries. Free access to over 100 million patent documents.
patentscope.wipo.int ↗Alphabet Inc.
The most comprehensive publicly available patent search tool — 100+ patent offices and over 120 million patent documents. Excellent for full-text search, prior art analysis, and cross-referencing. Includes machine translation for non-English patents.
patents.google.com ↗US Patent & Trademark Office
Complete database of US patents and patent applications from 1790 to present. Essential for FTO searches targeting the US market and for accessing the world's largest single-country patent database.
patents.uspto.gov ↗European Patent Office
EPO's free patent search tool covering 100+ countries. Particularly strong for European patents and international patent families — tracking the same invention across multiple jurisdictions.
worldwide.espacenet.com ↗Academic Publications & Journals
Prior art includes non-patent literature — IEEE, PubMed, arXiv, ScienceDirect, and other academic sources. Our search covers publications, theses, conference papers, and technical standards alongside patent databases.
Multiple sources searched ↗A patent search is only as good as the methodology behind it. Follow these steps for a thorough and defensible search result.
Identify your goal — are you checking if your invention is patentable? Ensuring a product launch doesn't infringe? Challenging a competitor's patent? Each goal requires a different search type with a different scope.
Identify technical keywords describing your invention's function, structure, and application. Map these to International Patent Classification (IPC) codes. Use Boolean operators — AND, OR, NOT — to refine results. Start broad, then narrow.
Search InPASS for Indian patents, Google Patents for global coverage, WIPO for PCT applications, and USPTO for US patents. No single database is complete — a comprehensive search requires all major sources plus non-patent literature.
Read the claims section — not just the abstract — to understand the exact scope of protection. Check legal status: granted, pending, or expired. Expired patents are free to use; pending patents may be granted with broader claims.
Track the same invention across multiple jurisdictions using Espacenet's patent family feature. A patent expired in India may still be active in the US or Europe — relevant for international product launches.
Document all search queries, databases used, results reviewed, and conclusions. A well-documented search report strengthens your patent application, supports FTO opinions, and serves as evidence in litigation.
Use AND, OR, NOT to combine or exclude terms. Example: "solar AND panel NOT silicon" narrows results to relevant inventions.
International Patent Classification codes (e.g., H01L for semiconductors) are the most reliable way to find patents in a specific technical field.
Search competitor company names in the applicant field to discover their complete patent portfolio — reveals R&D strategy and technology focus areas.
The abstract gives a summary; the claims define legal protection. An invention not covered by a patent's claims doesn't infringe — regardless of similarity.
Share the technical details of your invention — drawings, description, and the problem it solves. Our patent experts analyse the disclosure and identify the right search strategy.
Our patent professionals search InPASS, Google Patents, WIPO, USPTO, and scientific databases using optimised keywords and IPC codes. Search completed within 72 hours.
Receive a comprehensive report: relevant prior art identified, novelty assessment, patentability opinion, and recommended next steps — provisional filing, design-around, or FTO clearance.
A clear search result opens the path to patent registration. Here's what comes next.
Our patent experts have searched and analysed thousands of patents across technology domains. Get a comprehensive search report within 72 hours and know exactly where your invention stands.