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Is your New Idea Patented already? We have the necessary resources, tools, and experience to conduct a detailed Canada and USA patent search on our client’s behalf. Using online searches, we provide a comprehensive report to identify quickly the related patents overlapping your idea. This is not an exhaustive legal patent search; however, we are very good at accessing the USA/Canada patent databases to find the obvious infringements quickly and at very low cost before starting the design process. This knowledge saves you time and money.

Our patent research report can reduce these costs when filing a patent application and provide valuable insight to the product development process by identifying competitor designs, inventions, and features that are already in the public information space. As designers, we bring a unique perspective to the examination process as we think like competitors in terms of different ways to achieve the same function. This is very valuable when filling in a patent as it covers the many ways to achieve a function which blocks out future competitors from using these alternative ways to compete with you.

Once our designs are underway in 3D CAD models, your patent attorneys use our 3D CAD geometry which can be easily output in simple views, so they can use these images in their provisional and patent applications. This saves our clients’ money on image creation charges as the patent attorney decides what they want without having to engage us to provide them images.

With over 1000 client projects to date, Design 1st is skilled at identifying possible new patentable features and reviewing issues surrounding existing patent claims. We work closely with your patent attorneys to fill in information on patent applications to ensure as broad coverage as possible for our clients.

Product Concept Investigation (PCI)

The patent research report is included in our comprehensive business investigation (PCI) that Design 1st can conduct on a client’s behalf. This report is tailored to meet the needs of a client, whether it is competitive intelligence gathering, generating product ideas, or supplementing a pre-existing patent attorneys search results. We work closely with your patent attorneys to carefully review information before you file your patent.

Patent Space Investigation

When entrepreneurs, start-ups, and established companies want to bring a product to market, one critical legal obstacle they will face is existing competitive patents. While engaging with a patent lawyer can circumvent many of these issues, the costs incurred can quickly add up. We can help you understand when to engage legal counsel in the product design process for minimum cost and maximum effectiveness.

Our years of experience and examination of alternative ways to design new innovative functions helps your patent attorney fill out utility and method patents so competitors have a harder time getting around your new innovations. We also help clients with their design patents, copyright protection, and other brand related protection.

To assist the process, our in-house team performs research and reports on related IP design patents, utility patents, and specific knowledge available on the public internet. This helps when engaging your patent attorneys and informs us on potential infringements when considering solutions for your innovation.