How to search patents, made simple: when you think "this could be patentable", spend the first one or two minutes in your own language before you call a patent attorney

Introduction: patent searching is hard for most people

When you create a new product, have you ever wondered:

• "Has someone already patented this?"
• "Is our idea actually novel?"

The moment you try to find out, you hit a wall. Patent searching requires specialist search syntax and classification knowledge, and most of the documents are written in English, Chinese, Korean and many other languages. So the usual answer has been: "leave it to a patent attorney."

Of course, the final judgement and the filing itself belong with a professional. But before that, you want to see for yourself, quickly, whether the idea is even worth a consultation and how many similar patents exist, and where. We asked ourselves how to make that first step much easier.

The answer is Factdock's Patent Search.

What Factdock's Patent Search does: check novelty and prior art in your own language

1. Just describe it in your own words. AI builds the keywords

It is simple to use. Describe the product or idea you want to check in the words you normally use.

Factdock supports 109 languages. Write in English or any other language you are comfortable with. From your description, AI builds the keywords needed to search the patent databases, so there is no search syntax to learn.

If you have a manual or specification as a PDF, you can upload it and search from that, too.

2. Search the major patent offices at once, including overseas

The search runs against patent databases that hold each country's official publications. You can choose between two scopes:

• One country — choose from 19 patent offices, including the UK, Germany, France, Taiwan, India and Brazil, plus PCT international publications
• All major offices — search the five offices of the US, Japan, China, Korea and Europe (EPO) together

Start with a single country, or check all the major markets at once if you are planning to expand overseas. Pick whichever fits your purpose.

3. Results in your language, compared country by country

Results are shown in the language you wrote in. Chinese and Korean publications become readable in your own language.

You also see, at a glance, how many similar patents were found in each country, how closely each one appears to relate to your idea, and a comparison table of the main patents. Differences between countries, such as "many similar patents in the US, but few in Korea so far", become obvious immediately.

Any patent that catches your eye can be opened to read the details.

4. See the whole picture in one to two minutes

From input to results takes about one to two minutes. Before you hire a professional, you can see with your own eyes how many similar patents exist and which countries look promising.

What we care about, so the results can be trusted

With patent information, accuracy matters above all. Factdock's Patent Search is built around these points:

• Countries are labelled by publication number — the same patent is often published in several languages, so the country shown comes from the publication number, not from the language it was found in.
• Every result links to its source — you can always check the original publication.

Who it is for: from patent attorneys and IP teams to individual inventors

Patent attorneys and patent firms

For everyday prior-art searches and for checking filings abroad. Because you can compare several countries at once in your own language, the first step of narrowing down a search becomes much shorter.

• Get a quick picture of similar patents before a first client meeting
• Check filings abroad (China, Korea and more) quickly, in a language you can read
• Gauge the scope before starting a full search

Use it as one of the everyday tools of your practice.

Corporate IP departments and IP managers

IP teams need to watch competitors as well as their own filings.

• A first prior-art check when a new project comes up
• Seeing which patents competitors are filing, and in which countries
• Groundwork for briefings to development teams and management

Even companies without a dedicated IP specialist can let developers check for themselves.

R&D and product planning teams

Knowing early whether a development direction is safe saves both time and money. Checking for similar patents at the planning stage reduces the risk of changing course halfway through development.

Small businesses and startups

Professional searches always cost money. Check the possibilities with Factdock first, and bring in a professional once you know a consultation is worth it. That way, a limited budget goes further.

It is also a good way to check the patent landscape of a target country before expanding or exporting overseas.

Universities, research institutes and technology transfer offices

For groundwork when deciding whether to patent research results, or when checking the technology of a joint research partner. Separately from papers, you can quickly survey what already exists in the patent world.

Individual inventors and aspiring founders

A first step when you want to know whether your idea has potential. See for yourself before spending a lot of money.

Anyone who wants to search in a language other than English

Patent research has long assumed that you can read English. With Factdock, you search in your own language and read the results in your own language. It is built for the people who used to give up because of the language barrier.

Patent Search pricing: simple, flat and easy to start

Patent research may sound expensive. Factdock's Patent Search costs a fixed amount per search, and plans start from $29 per month.

• Just two prices — one for a single country, one for all major offices (five patent offices)
• Everything included — keyword generation, the search and the summary of results (including the comparison table)
• No extras — the price does not go up with the number of keywords

You know the price before you search, so there is no worrying about what it will cost. Searches come out of the credits included in your monthly plan, and at $29 a month to start, it is affordable enough for individuals to try.

And right now, every plan is 50% off for the first 30 days. On the entry plan, your first month is $29 → $14.50.

Before you use it

Factdock's Patent Search organises publicly available patent information so you can see whether similar patents exist and what the situation is in each country. For decisions on filing or on rights, use the results as a reference and consult a professional such as a patent attorney. Getting the overall picture in Factdock first also makes that consultation smoother.

In closing

We want people who thought patents were only for specialists to explore the world's patents easily, in their own language. That is why we built this Patent Search.

When an idea comes to you, start with one or two minutes on Factdock, and then decide your next step.

Frequently asked questions