Looking for insights – Quality control initiatives for enhancing patent searches

Measuring the quality of patent searches is inherently difficult and poses many challenges. Plausible reasons for this may include the length of the patenting process, and the true value and quality of a search can often not be realised for many years after a search has been conducted. Opportunities are there, however, for searchers to take the initiative by seeking to enhance the quality and comprehensiveness of the searches they perform through different approaches that may be integrated into their day-to-day workflow. While the primary aim of these approaches is to ultimately improve the quality of searches, the insights derived serve to benefit all searchers in the work they do, regardless of their experience, and build a collective team spirit.

► Patent searching quality control in a large pharmaceutical company.
► Peer-review, benchmarking and client dialogue emphasised.
► Insight 1: core substructure combined with keywords beneficial.
► Insight 2: subset, inventor, citation search components valuable.
► Insight 3: client and search team member continuous feedback vital.