Google Patent Search Launched

Google made yet another addition to the expanding Google empire last week, when the company launched the beta version of Google Patent Search.

The search engine allows users to search through United States patent filings in a variety of ways, including searches by patent number, inventor, filing date, and keyword. Patents that have been issued up to mid-2006 are included in the results.

Although international patents and patents applications are not included in the search, it does allow potential inventors (or the perpetually curious) to sift through millions of U.S. patents. (Source: news.com)

Interestingly, U.S. patents have already been searchable at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's website. However, Google insists that it has put the information into a more user-friendly format. (Source: news.com)

On the company blog, Google Software Engineer Doug Banks described the sensibility of the Google Patent Search offering: "It's a natural extension of our mission to make this public domain government information more easily accessible using Google's search technology. We're pleased to have started with over 7 million patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and look forward to expanding our coverage over time." (Source: blogspot.com)

While many people may indeed find the service useful, patent searching is not always easy. Mike Overy, Secretary for the Wessex Round Table of Inventors, noted that because naming inventions is quite arbitrary, it can be easy to overlook a patent that has been filed.

"If you've invented what you think is the first gizmo whatsit, and you type that into a search engine, you won't find much because the other person who invented it called it something different," he explained. (Source: computerworld.com)

Despite the potential difficulties in patent searching, Google has previously proven its ability to make finding information online both quick and easy. It wouldn't be a big shock to find out that they can streamline patent searching as well.

To check out the website, visit:

http://www.google.com/patents