The below flat-fee International patent research work performs the  US Patent research as described above and expands the search to include a worldwide patent search (of over 50 million patents) for the most relevant prior art that can be used to reject your invention. It covers US Patent Publications, US Patents (going all the way back to the very first set of patents), European Patent Office (and all member countries), Japanese Patent Office (and all member countries), World Intellectual Property Organization (and all member countries), Derwent and the actual patents of lesser developed countries. All are full text with non-English text being provided with an English language abstract.

The "Basic Search" level is usually adequate to achieve a basic confidence that your same invention has not been already patented in the US. The "Normal Search" level is much more in-depth than the basic level, and usually adequate to achieve a good confidence that your same or highly similarinvention has not been already patented. The "Normal" level is usually the best balance between cost and thoroughness. The "Advanced Search" level is our most comprehensive level of flat-fee patent research and seeks to determine with reasonably high confidence if the exact invention exist, or ananalogous variation can be construed based on one or more prior-art reference separately or in combination.

For help deciding the right level of service for your situation please [Click Here].

The general process proceeds as follows:

1. Upon your payment being honored, we email you confirmation including instructions on how to securely submit your completed invention description form (questionnaire) to us confidentially. As an additional layer of protection, we can provide a signed confidentiality agreement (i.e., nondisclosure agreement, or NDA) covering the invention description you submit to us for patent searching. Note that Registered Patent Agents and Attorneys areobligated by law to preserve their clients' proprietary information in strict confidence, otherwise he or she can be permanently barred personally from ever practicing in patents or any other area of law. Moreover, all employees of Bay Area IP have signed nondisclosure agreements.
2. Your case will be assigned to a Patent Search professional credentialed according to the level of service procured (but, always highly competent in the mechanical, electrical, and computer arts), who will email you asking any additional information or clarifications if required.
3. An estimated completion date will be communicated to you (usually 1 week).
4. A patent search report will be generated and delivered to you by secure email. The patent search report contains the Patent Search results, soft copies of the references found, and is suitable to be presented to a Registered Patent Practitioner for a patentability opinion. Your patent search report is yours to do with as you see fit.
5. If we also received an order for a patentability opinion, then a Registered Patent Practitioner (usually the same person that conducted or managed the patent search) will render a patentability opinion and deliver their patentability analysis and advice to you (usually in a few days the patent search results are available).
6. After we deliver your patent search report and/or any ordered patentability opinion, we will not proceed to perform any further work until we receive instructions and payment for additional services you wish to procure based on the results.
7. The patents identified in the patent search report can be submitted in an information disclosure statement with your utility patent application as required by law.