Whether on the Amazon platform or other cross-border e-commerce platforms, intellectual property rights are particularly important for new product development, and before developing products, you must carefully screen the patents of such products to avoid design traps. Product patent property rights are targeted at the region of the sales market. It is not possible to sell globally just by owning a patent in China, so when searching for patents, you must search on local patent websites or by other means.
The search process has five steps.
(1) First of all, you must have a very good understanding of the technology you are searching for and find all the fields where it can be used. This may be the most important step. After understanding the patent, ask yourself:
①What is the main idea behind this patent?
②Why is it necessary?
③What already existed before this patent? What are their shortcomings?
④How does it work?
⑤Where else can it be used?
⑥Is it possible to interpret it in a different way?
Only when the answers to the above questions are clear can you proceed to the next step.
(2) Find all synonyms and related technical terms that can be used.
(3) Press from empty to broad, starting with targeted, logical, limited keywords, looking for keywords that may be the same as those used in the subject patent. Read some patents and start creating a library of related keywords, phrases, and general concepts.
(4) Build a timeline of technology evolution. The technology may have a completely different name in the past than it does today. Try to find the answer. Build a timeline of technology evolution. Think about what people would call Bitcoin in the 1990s? Replace Bitcoin with the name of the technology.
(5) If you find a patent that is highly relevant to the product you want to make, try to look at the documents and packaging related to its product, and check all references and legal documents. These will help understand the commercial potential of the invention and find prior art.