In order for an invention to be approved as a patent, it must be absolutely new on the day the invention is registered as an application with the Patent Office . It can therefore be an advantage to get an overview of this news before starting a patent application.
This is done by conducting a preliminary investigation, ie an examination of older patents in the relevant technical area to see if anyone has previously presented the same idea. Searches are also made in ordinary technical literature and material stored in databases. There are professional patenting agencies like Invent Help that can help you conducting a search.
By carrying out a preliminary investigation, one obtains more information than just knowledge of the novelty value of the invention. Firstly, if a patent emerges during the investigation, it will be seen whether there are already patent rights that must be taken into account. Secondly, by comparing the solutions in the extracted material, it will be easier to formulate correct patent claims in the new application.
Patentability
Patent protection can be obtained for inventive ideas concerning products, methods and applications.
In order for an inventive idea to be patentable, it must be new, ie the Patent Office , which receives and processes applications for patents on the idea, cannot prove that others have presented the idea earlier. Before filing a patent application, it must therefore not have been shown publicly at sales, marketing, been shown at exhibitions and fairs, or be mentioned on radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, etc as explained on https://azbigmedia.com/business/why-new-inventors-turn-to-inventhelp-for-support/.
A patent application is a written assessment of the invention, and consists of a description, drawings and patent claims. From a legal point of view, what is protected by the patent is defined in words in the patent claims. In these, it is important that appropriate broad concepts have been used (ie not unnecessary restrictions have been entered), so that one gets protection for the idea itself and not just for a specific execution.