Japanese Prior Art Search Procedure

1. Step 1: Understanding the target patent/technology;
2. Step 2: Developing key concepts;
3. Step 3: Performing a few preliminary searches;
4. Step 4: Defining classes and key word strings to be used in the searches;
5. Step 5: Deciding the search strings and database(s) to be used in the searches;
6. Step 6: Performing the searches, and refining the search strings and performing improved search(es) using the refined search strings if necessary;
7. Step 7: Screening the hits generated from the searches to eliminate search noise, and downloading full patent documents of the screened hits;
8. Step 8: Reviewing the full patent documents retrieved in previous step, and performing a follow-up search(es) if necessary; and
9. Step 9: Reporting.

In Step 1, like any search firm normally does, we seek help from our clients, the technology expert in the related area so we can understand better the essential elements or features of a target patent or target technology, to avoid searching for the wrong documents.

In Step 2, we develop key concepts that are expressed in Japanese for the essential elements or features of interest based on the understanding for the target patent or technology.