A.I. Patent search and verifications?

[jpr27]

I have seen some people show recent patents that corporations and manufacturers have released and I was wondering where I can search them? Is there a specific way to search the patents that you may have a question on?

For example: I have some A.I. implementations that I have working on and if all goes well I might try to patent it. I just want to make sure that I'm not infringing or that my methods are not already patented. We all know how alot of patents seem to be very broad lately :?

Any help would be appreciated thanks

 

[Simon F]

British and European Patent Offices: (also keeps details on international patents).

US Patent and Trademark site (This only lists US patents)

 

[Killer-Kris]

I know this is slightly off topic, but Simon can't you get yourself and your company in trouble frequently looking at patents?

I've been told by some of the people I know at Intel, that they're not allowed to go to any external patent sights because it would then be possible for a competitor to claim that they are infringing. Instead Intel has an internal server with patents that they own/have liscenses for.

How does that sort of situation work for you?

 

[Simon F]

I know this is slightly off topic, but Simon can't you get yourself and your company in trouble frequently looking at patents?

I don't look at them, in general. They are too tedious to read.

If, however, patents are cited by an examiner when he/she gives the examination report for an application that I've written, then I do have to read those.

 

[Killer-Kris]

If, however, patents are cited by an examiner when he/she gives the examination report for an application that I've written, then I do have to read those.

So that makes it sound like you only ever look at patents after you've done your work, and if the examiner finds a potential conflict, is that how it works?



And I guess with my line of questions to Simon, should be a warning for you jpr27, if you look at patents before implenting or at least documenting your idea first, you could potentially be opening yourself up to trouble if there are infact similar patents out there already.

 

[ERP]

If, however, patents are cited by an examiner when he/she gives the examination report for an application that I've written, then I do have to read those.

So that makes it sound like you only ever look at patents after you've done your work, and if the examiner finds a potential conflict, is that how it works?



And I guess with my line of questions to Simon, should be a warning for you jpr27, if you look at patents before implenting or at least documenting your idea first, you could potentially be opening yourself up to trouble if there are infact similar patents out there already.

The company I work for has a policy that requires we never look at patents.

Basically if you infringe deliberatly you incur tripple damages, so by not having people look at the patents the idea is your likely to get away with the accidental infringement penalty.

Whether the policy actually carries any weight in court I have no idea.

 

[Killer-Kris]

If, however, patents are cited by an examiner when he/she gives the examination report for an application that I've written, then I do have to read those.

So that makes it sound like you only ever look at patents after you've done your work, and if the examiner finds a potential conflict, is that how it works?



And I guess with my line of questions to Simon, should be a warning for you jpr27, if you look at patents before implenting or at least documenting your idea first, you could potentially be opening yourself up to trouble if there are infact similar patents out there already.

The company I work for has a policy that requires we never look at patents.

Basically if you infringe deliberatly you incur tripple damages, so by not having people look at the patents the idea is your likely to get away with the accidental infringement penalty.

Whether the policy actually carries any weight in court I have no idea.

Well I can vouch that Intel has what sounds like a similar policy so it probably has some truth to it.

 

[jpr27]

Well actually I never thought of it that way.

I was looking to exclude myself. I have A.I. ideas and its not that I need information to "research" from its actually the oposit. I want to ensure I'm not impending on any such patents that are already filed. Like I said Im doing this because my work is coming along nicely and nothing like it "that I know of" has been put into use or is in use. It could be a company has a simalar patent but hasn't used it.

I do agree that I see why Intel and large corps. may use this method. As for myself, Im not a corporation and I'm using it to ensure I'm not putting all these hours and work into a technology that is already covered by a patent or relates to one that is so "Broad" that it might include my own theologies and ideas.

Killer-Kris: What do you mean by "documenting" your idea? I have been documenting etc. through my whole process. Or are you talking in legal terms?

 

[RussSchultz]

As a side note: patents show up on the website years after they have been invented, filed, and then awarded.

In a fast moving field, they're almost useless at seeing what state of the art is. (Which is why I get a little confused when people use them to predict the future products of companies).

 

[pascal]

Sometimes patenting it is not the best way to protect it.
You can register your software.