A Prior Art Search (PAS) will check all available resources to see if anyone filed a patent on your invention or anything similar to it. The process takes time and an expert understanding of what to look for and where is a necessity.

Knowing the status of published patent and non-patent literature provides you with insight into your competition and gives you a better understanding of the market you plan to enter.

Drawings, documentation, photos, graphs and publications can be considered prior art. Having thorough knowledge of these details will help you refine and modify your invention, improving your patent application disclosures and making your patent protection broader in scope.

After you apply for a patent, an examiner will critique your invention against several criteria like 35 U.S.C. 102. The PAS will allow you to potentially see published patents and patent applications that the USPTO Examiner may compare your invention to and respond to the office action.

While prior art searches are a great way to research the competition, they are also not for everyone and should be performed at the right time. There is an 18 month window of
unpublished patent applications that will not appear during your search.