The growing business handbook : inspiration and advice ... - Sparkler

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Exploring patent
information
2.3
Dean Parry, technical director at Patent Seekers, discusses how to search patents
to identify innovative products and reveal the competitive landscape within
particular markets.
Some of the most successful companies utilize patent information to gain strategic
information about markets and competitors. They know expert patent knowledge
can provide the key to success in today’s highly competitive markets.
Patent database information
With over 50 million patents on worldwide patent databases, there is a wealth of
information (much of which is not available anywhere else) for companies to explore
and utilize. These databases provide information on patents at different stages
(application stage, granted or dead) but they are all published for the public to view.
In general, patents go through a pre-grant stage where they are being assessed by a
particular patent office via search and examination, and if successful, a post-grant
stage where a patent has been granted by a patent office.
Understanding how patents develop can provide more accurate information on the
patent strength of competitors and whether particular products are currently
protected.
The following list details the different stages for patents:
1 If a patent is in the application stage this means it may or may not be granted
(be put in force by a patent office) and there are many reasons why it may fail;
for example, lack of funds, failure to meet statutory requirements (eg the
invention lacks novelty and/or inventiveness). A GB or European patent
(known as a patent specification or spec) in the application stage would have
an A (or A1, A2, etc) suffix and the granted spec would have a B (or B1, B2,
etc) suffix.
2 If a patent is granted, this means it has been put in force at some stage.
However, it does not mean that it is currently in force: the patent may have
subsequently died.