Spring 2012 Course Highlight: Art and Science of Patent Searching

PRG’s Spring 2012 Advanced Courses Program will be held from March 25-31, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida, and all courses have been updated to reflect the many impacts of AIA.  We’ve already posted an overview of all Spring 2012 Advanced Courses and looked at the course “Designing Around Valid U.S. Patents”, and today we’ll describe the benefits of taking Art and Science of Patent Searching, which will teach you how to conduct a systematic prior art search with greater efficiency and precision!

General Information: Art and Science of Patent Searching

• Course Dates: March 25, 2012 – March 27, 2012
• Course Times: 8:15-11:30; 1:30-4:45 (Sun-Mon); 8:15-11:30 (Tues). Workshop: 1:30-4:45 (Tues)
• Projected CLE: 15.0 hours
• Instructors: Matthew Luby, Jonathan Skovholt, and Brian Thurmond.
• For more detailed information on this course, visit this page of the PRG website

Why Should You Take This Course?
The Art and Science of Patent Searching course  is designed to benefit a broad audience including novice searchers, seasoned patent practitioners, and search professionals. The course also provides unbiased, detailed information concerning the latest databases and tools of the trade. Expert tips from search professionals are provided to enable high-level patent research through proper scoping, structuring, and performance of the search. Patent practitioners will recognize that a robust understanding of the prior art is a vital part of the patent process, particularly in view of accelerated examination demands and the America Invents Act.

Course Description

Designed for patent attorneys and agents, inventors, paralegals, and research managers, the course and its materials will be understood by anyone from the inexperienced to advanced practitioners. Unlike workshops that are taught by competing database providers, this global course is not tied to a particular search engine, a database product or a patent information service. Instead, the instructors teach skills that are applicable across databases, both proprietary and public, and without bias toward the features of a particular search engine. Unique among its many features, the course provides a comparison of the major patent search engines and teaches the strengths, weaknesses, and benefits of the database providers who provide them.

The curriculum and text were designed and written by twelve practitioners: eight experienced patent information specialists and four former examiners with expertise in both English and foreign language searching. The curriculum reflects the combined expertise of Landon IP, which is one of only two companies selected by the USPTO to conduct patent searches on its behalf with a view to reducing USPTO examiners’ towering examination backlog.

Upon completion of the course, the attendee will have learned:

•  How to approach a search in a systematic, methodical, and exhaustive manner.
• How to properly scope the search before beginning.
• How to carefully search by classification, text query progression, and citations, knowing the benefits and pitfalls of each.
• Both the major differences and subtle nuances in conducting a patentability, validity, or infringement patent searches.
• Issues unique to searching within specific technical disciplines.
• Approaches to searching non-English language patents and published applications.
• Approaches to searching non-patent literature.
• Approaches to reporting search results.
• Differences between the major patent search engines and important considerations in selecting an appropriate search tool.
• Ways to get high-level information from patent search results.
• The basics of several peripheral topics including the use of the USPTO search templates, searching for accelerated examination, and searching using industry standards.

Course Materials

The text for the course is Art & Science of Patent Searching – Patentability, Validity & Infringement, edited by Matthew Rodgers, Long Nguyen, and David Hunt. The thoroughness of the text will minimize the need for note-taking at the program.

 

Optional Patent Searching Workshop

This Workshop is an optional add-on to the Art and Science of Patent Searching course. It gives attendees the opportunity to practice hands-on patent searching alongside the course instructors. The faculty will work with the attendees to answer questions and provide guidance as they execute their searches in real time. The Workshop is structured to test each attendee’s retention of the concepts covered in the course as they put their training to use in several sample search projects. Attendees will be provided with multiple sample disclosures, encompassing a wide variety of technologies, on which they will base their search. The informal, lecture-free setting will allow each attendee to work independently, but in close proximity to an instructor. Attendees must bring their own laptop computers and will be provided with wireless Internet access in the classroom. Attendees are also asked to bring their own search engine user accounts so that they will be able to practice using familiar search tools. The instructors will be able to provide assistance with any of the major patent search engines. The attendees will be guided through scoping the search, performing the search and analyzing their results. Answer keys will be provided at the end of the Workshop so that participants may gauge their progress and have a reference to use for additional practice following the class.

*A patent search engine user account is needed for the Workshop. Please contact PRG if you need assistance in obtaining one.

Registration, Hotel Information, FAQs, and Special Offers:

• If you’re interested in registering online for this Spring 2012 Advanced Course, visit this page on the PRG website!
• You can also view the Spring 2012 Advanced Courses Catalog, which included a print registration form.
• Visit this page for more information on the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Spring, FL.
• Want general information on PRG’s Advanced Courses? Visit this FAQ page.
• And finally, learn about all the ways you can save through PRG’s Special Offers!

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