Mid Term Report

on
PRIOR-ART
Software Training (BTCS-801)/Industry Oriented Project Training (BTCS-802)

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
(Computer Science and Engineering)

SUBMITTED BY:
Name: Keshav Singh
Roll No : 1915353
June 2023

Under the Guidance of

Ms. Varsha Chauhan

Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Chandigarh Engineering College
Jhanjeri, Mohali - 140307
 Table of Contents
S.No. Contents Page No.

1. Introduction 3-4

2. Research and Intellectual property 5-18

3. Software Analysis(Databases) 19-24

4. Methodology 25-29

5. Findings and Analysis 30-34

6. References 35
 INTRODUCTION

Introduction
The patent system plays a vital role in encouraging innovation by granting inventors exclusive
rights to their inventions. However, for an invention to be patentable, it must meet certain criteria,
including novelty and non-obviousness. Prior art forms the cornerstone of patent examination,
serving as the foundation for assessing the novelty and inventiveness of a proposed invention. In
this article, we delve into the concept of prior art and its significance in the patent application
process.

Understanding Prior Art

Prior art refers to any publicly available information that anticipates or renders an invention
obvious before its filing date. It includes existing patents, scientific articles, technical papers,
conference proceedings, product descriptions, publicly available demonstrations, and any other
documentation or evidence that discloses similar or related inventions.

The Role of Prior Art in Patent Examination

Novelty Assessment: Novelty is a crucial requirement for patentability. Patent examiners compare
the claims of a patent application with the prior art to determine if the claimed invention is new. If
the proposed invention is identical or substantially similar to prior art references, it lacks novelty
and may be rejected.
Non-Obviousness Evaluation: In addition to novelty, an invention must also exhibit non-
obviousness. Non-obviousness refers to the level of inventiveness that the invention demonstrates.
Patent examiners assess the prior art to determine if a person skilled in the relevant field would
have found the claimed invention obvious based on existing knowledge and practices.
Patentability Search: Prior art serves as a crucial resource for patentability searches conducted by
inventors and patent attorneys. A comprehensive search helps identify prior art references that may
pose challenges to the novelty and inventiveness of a proposed invention. By analyzing prior art,
inventors can refine their claims, modify their inventions to enhance their patentability, or explore
alternative approaches.

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Types of Prior Art

Patents: Existing patents and published patent applications are valuable sources of prior art. Patent
databases, such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent
Office (EPO), and international databases like WIPO's Patentscope, contain vast collections of
granted patents and patent applications worldwide.
Scientific Literature: Journals, scientific articles, conference proceedings, and technical papers in
various fields serve as rich sources of prior art. These publications disseminate research findings,
technological advancements, and innovative ideas, making them critical references for patent
examination.
Publicly Available Information: Product brochures, marketing materials, user manuals, websites,
product demonstrations, and other public disclosures provide valuable prior art. If an invention has
been publicly disclosed before the filing date of a patent application, it may affect its patentability.

Challenges in Identifying Prior Art

Identifying relevant prior art can be a complex and time-consuming task. The sheer volume of
information available, especially in rapidly evolving technological domains, poses challenges.
Inventors and patent professionals must employ effective search strategies, utilize specialized
databases, and stay updated with the latest research to ensure a comprehensive prior art search.

Conclusion
Prior art forms the backbone of the patent examination process, ensuring that inventions meet the
criteria of novelty and non-obviousness. By comparing the proposed invention with publicly
available information, patent examiners and inventors assess the originality and inventiveness of
an invention. Understanding the concept of prior art and conducting thorough searches within
relevant domains is crucial for inventors seeking to protect their innovations and for patent
examiners evaluating patent applications. A comprehensive understanding of prior art strengthens
the patent system, fosters innovation, and encourages the development of groundbreaking
technologies.

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 RESEARCH AND INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY

2.1 What is Intellectual Property(IP)?

Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic
works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.
IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people
to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right
balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to
foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

2.2 Types of Intellectual Property

Following are the types of Intellectual Property-

1. Patent: Protects an invention that is useful, novel, and non-obvious.
2. Copyright: Protects the expression of an idea rather than the idea itself.
3. Trademark: Word, mark, or slogan which distinguishes one manufacturer’s goods from
another’s.
4. Trade Secret: Protects any commercially valuable information that’s kept secret.
 Copyright

Copyright is a type of intellectual property protection afforded to authors of "original works of

authorship," which include literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual
works, both published and unpublished. In general, the 1976 Copyright Act grants the owner of
copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, prepare derivative works,
distribute copies or phone records of the copyrighted work, publicly perform or display the
copyrighted work. The form of expression, rather than the subject matter of the writing, is
protected by copyright. A machine description, for example, could be copyrighted, but this
would only prevent others from copying the description; it would not prevent others from
writing their own description or from building and using the machine. The Library of Congress'
Copyright Office registers copyrights.
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 Patent

A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or process that offers
a new way of doing something or a new technical solution to a problem. Technical information
about the invention must be disclosed to the public in a patent application in order to obtain a
patent. In general, the patent owner has the sole right to prevent or prohibit others from
commercially exploiting the patented invention. In other words, patent protection means that
others cannot commercially make, use, distribute, import, or sell the invention without the
patent owner's permission. Patents are essentially territorial rights. In general, exclusive rights
are only applicable in the country or region where a patent has been filed and granted, in
accordance with local law. The protection is granted for a limited time, usually 20 years from
the date the application is filed.
 Trademark

A trademark is a sign that distinguishes one company's goods or services from those of other
companies. Intellectual property rights protect trademarks. At the national/regional level,
trademark protection can be obtained through registration, by filing an application for
registration with the national/regional trademark office and paying the required fees. In
principle, a trademark registration will confer an exclusive right to the use of the registered
trademark. This implies that the trademark can be exclusively used by its owner, or licensed to
another party for use in return for payment. Registration provides legal certainty and reinforces
the position of the right holder, for example, in case of litigation. The term of trademark
registration can vary, but is usually ten years. It can be renewed indefinitely on payment of
additional fees. Trademark rights are private rights and protection is enforced through court
orders. A trademark can be a single word or a combination of words, letters, and numbers.
However, trademarks can also include drawings, symbols, three-dimensional features such as
product shape and packaging, non-visible signs such as sounds or fragrances, or colour shades
used as distinguishing features - the possibilities are nearly limitless.

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  Trade Secret

Trade secrets are intellectual property (IP) rights on confidential information which may be
sold or licensed. In general, to qualify as a trade secret, the information must be:
 Commercially valuable because it is secret,
 Be known only to a limited group of persons, and
 Be subject to reasonable steps taken by the rightful holder of the information to keep
it secret, including the use of confidentiality agreements for business partners and
employees.

Unauthorized acquisition, use, or disclosure of such secret information by others in a manner

inconsistent with honest commercial practises is considered an unfair practise and a violation
of trade secret protection. In general, any confidential business information which provides an
enterprise a competitive edge and is unknown to others may be protected as a trade secret.
Trade secrets encompass both technical information, such as information concerning
manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical test data, designs and drawings of computer
programs, and commercial information, such as distribution methods, list of suppliers and
clients, and advertising strategies. A trade secret may be also made up of a combination of
elements, each of which by itself is in the public domain, but where the combination, which is
kept secret, provides a competitive advantage. Other examples of information that may be
protected by trade secrets include financial information, formulas and recipes and source codes.

2.3 Types of Searches Performed

I. Novelty Search / Patentability Search

Prior art discovered through patentability searches may disallow novelty or non-obviousness
during the assessment process. In order to avoid examiner limits and the time and money
required to react to them, an applicant should do a thorough patentability investigation to
determine the range of the claims that the PTO is likely to deem acceptable. Moreover,
restriction-free examination is advantageous in and of itself since it prevents the patentee from

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 claiming that the claims' scope encompasses all equivalents to the patent's claimed parts. PTO
searches and inspections are frequently superficial and lacking in detail. The widest, most
valuable claims of patentees who only rely on the PTO's search and inspection for validity may
be found to be invalid or otherwise vulnerable to expensive challenges. This leaves them less
safeguarded against unexpected licencing and licencing costs in the future.

II. Prior Art Search

Any firm that deals with a sizable number of innovative technology and/or processes now
considers prior art search to be essential. A thorough prior art search is essential for a
successful patent submission. Companies looking to compete in a difficult market or
technology field may be threatened with legal action and infringement claims without thorough
prior art searches and in-depth prior art analyses. One of the first stages before submitting a
patent application is a prior art search. It involves looking up all prior art in the same domain
that is closest to the specified technological advance. Consequently, prior art searches assist in
determining an innovation's uniqueness globally so that a patent can be granted.

III. Validity/Invalidity Search

When a party wants to claim the validity or invalidity of an issued patent based on novelty or
obviousness grounds, such as during litigation or to avoid exorbitant licencing fees, a validity
or invalidity search is typically done. Because the searcher hopes to find previous art that the
examiner or other searchers missed, validity/invalidity searches are typically broad-based,
exhaustive searches. Finding previous art with a date earlier than, preferably more than one
year earlier than, the priority date of the invention and that has all the elements of the claims of
interest is the aim of this sort of search. Prior art that contains some of the elements of the
claims and those with specific suggestions to combine additional elements may also be of
interest.

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IV. Landscape and State of Art Searches:

These searches deal with both patent and non-patent literature searches depending on the
requirements to understand the existing state of any given technology. The information needed
to make strategic decisions about IP and business is provided by these searches, which are
customised to the needs of the customer. Agents and lawyers do not offer the same service as
IP managers, consultants, and advisers. But, they frequently lack the knowledge to gather the
data required to offer firms effective counsel and plans, much like agents and lawyers do. A
company needs a strategy for acquiring and managing a patent portfolio if it wants to fully
benefit from the advantages and protections provided by patents and avoid needless patent
acquisition costs.
V. Clearance Search or Freedom-To-Operate Search (Before Launching a Product)

Assessing and comprehending the commercial risks associated when introducing a new
product to the market is crucial. This is especially important because there's a potential that
your goods might violate someone else's patent rights. In order to determine the level of risk
involved in bringing your product to market, a freedom to practise opinion is a legal
determination that examines your invention against a suitable selection of patents. While
launching your product, this search might assist you in avoiding the risks of potential
infringement.

2.4 Patent Fundamentals

 Every patent has a unique publication number. For example, US10023038B2 is
a patent that describes an electric car structure that enhances safety during an
accident. It was filed and owned by Tesla.
 The publication number can be used to find the full text of a patent and its
details. For example, you can find Tesla's patent by using its publication
number on Google Patents: https://patents.google.com/
 The publication number start with a country code. For Tesla's patent, it is 'US' -
which, means the patent is a USA patent.

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 The publication number has a serial number in it. For Tesla's patent, it is
10023038. Sometimes people also write it as U.S. Pat. No. 10,023,038.
 The publication number always ends in a "kind code". It tells what kind of a
publication it is. In many countries, patent applications are published (made
available publicly) even before they are granted. Applications get a different
kind code. Tesla's patent was published as an application in 2015 with A1 kind
code. Its publication number was US20150239331A1. Kind codes vary from
country to country and each country has a whole bunch of them. It would be
good exercise to find out which kind codes are used in your favourite country
and what do they mean.
 Every patent has a title. Tesla's patent is titled "System for absorbing and
distributing side impact energy utilizing an integrated battery pack".
 Every patent has one or more "claims". You can think of claims as a type of
"fence" for the patent, i.e. they set a boundary around the patent by
describing, in very precise language, what are the exact features of this
invention. Tesla's patent has 20 claims.
 Most of the patents have figures. These figures are meant to make it easier to
understand the invention. Different parts shown in figures are customarily
labelled with numerical figures. Tesla's patent has 21 figures.
 Every patent has an abstract. It is like a short paragraph that describes, in
short, what the invention is about.
 Every patent has a detailed description, also called a 'specification' or 'spec'. It
lays out the invention in such detail that a person familiar with the technology
can implement it.

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2.4.1 Who May Apply For A Patent?
With several restrictions, the law states that the inventor, or a person to whom the inventor has
assigned or is obligated to assign the invention, may file for a patent. Legal representatives,
i.e., the executor or administrator of the estate, may submit the application if the inventor has
passed away. A legal representative may submit the patent application on behalf of the inventor
if they are declared legally incapable (e.g., guardian). A joint inventor may submit an
application on behalf of a non-signing inventor if the inventor declines to do so or cannot be
located.
When two or more people create an invention together, they file a patent application as joint
inventors. One who merely contributes money is not considered a co-inventor and cannot be
added to the application as an inventor. It is possible to fix a simple error like incorrectly
leaving out an inventor or incorrectly designating someone as an inventor. It is against the law
for officers and staff members of the USPTO to apply for patents or to acquire any rights or
interests in patents, directly or indirectly, other than by inheritance or bequest.
2.4.2 Purpose of Granting Patents:
A patent is a property right, territorial right, or negative right that has been awarded by a local,
national, or international authority. In return for that privilege, the patent holder is required to
give the government and consequently the general public a thorough explanation of the
innovation and how to use it. So, the patent system aids in the development of technology by
offering a reward system that promotes the exchange of valuable scientific and technological
knowledge.
There are four basic incentives reflected in the patent system: to innovate in the first place; to
disclose the innovation once made; to invest the money necessary to develop, produce and
market the invention; and to design around and improve upon earlier patents.
1. Incentives for commercially effective R&D are provided through patents (R&D). The
annual R&D expenses of many sizable modern firms are in the hundreds of millions or
even billions of dollars. Without patents, R&D expenditures would be considerably
reduced or stopped altogether, which would restrict the likelihood of scientific
advancements or breakthroughs. Although third parties would be free to capitalize on
any innovations, businesses would be far more cautious about the R&D investments
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 they made. This second justification is strongly related to the essential assumptions
behind conventional property rights.
2. Patents facilitate and encourage the disclosure of innovations into the public domain for
the benefit of all, in line with the term's original definition. In many circumstances,
inventors would want or have a tendency to keep their ideas a secret if they had the
legal protection provided by patents. When a patent is granted, the specifics of new
technology are typically made available to the public, where they can be used by
anyone after the patent expires or improved upon by other innovators. Also, when a
patent's term has passed, the public record makes sure that the inventor's concept is
preserved for future generations.
3. Once an invention is created, the cost of commercialization (testing, tooling up a
factory, developing a market, etc.) is often much higher than the initial conception cost
in many industries (especially those with high fixed costs and either low marginal costs
or low reverse engineering costs — for example, computer processors, software, and
pharmaceuticals). (For instance, several computer companies' internal "rule of thumb"
in the 1980s claimed that post-R&D expenses were 7-to-1). Companies won't undertake
that productization expenditure unless there is a means to stop duplicates from
competing at the marginal cost of manufacture.
4. Patent protection encourages businesses to discover workarounds for patented
inventions, leading to the development of better or alternative technologies that might
not have been created otherwise.

The ability of the small-time inventor to leverage the exclusive right status to become a
licensor is an intriguing byproduct of contemporary patent usage. Due to the inventor's
decision to not manage a production buildup for the invention, rapid innovation may be
possible. This enables the inventor to amass wealth quickly through licensing the technology.
Hence, the inventor's time and energy can be concentrated on pure creativity, enabling others
to concentrate on manufacturability.
According to the statute and the grant itself, the privilege granted by the patent grant is "the
right to prohibit anyone from producing, using, offering for sale, or selling" the invention in the
United States or "importing" it into the country. The right to exclude others from
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manufacturing, using, offering for sale, selling, or importing the invention is what is granted,
not the right to do any of those things. After a patent is granted, the patentee is responsible for
enforcing it independently of the USPTO.

2.4.3 General Patent Requirements

The invention must fulfill the following requirements in order to be patented –

1. NEW – The invention must be new and must not be taught in the prior art or publicly
known. e.g., patented, published.
2. USEFUL – The invention must perform some function of positive benefit to society.
Does not need to be superior to existing products.
3. NON-OBVIOUS - Invention must not have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in
the art. It depends on who is interpreting it -
To an engineer, everything is obvious.
To a patent attorney, nothing is obvious.

2.4.4 Patent Filing Procedure

Once anyone comes up with an idea that satisfies the three conditions of
patentability, he/she can get a patent granted with regional office. The date on
which the application for grant of a patent is filed is termed as “Application Date”
or “Filing Date”. At this time, a number is also assigned to this application by the
patent office which is known as application number. This number is used for
referring the application in future communications. For US patents it looks like -
US12/848,058.
After filing of the patent application, which usually includes the abstract, claims,
background, description, drawings/figures, it is processed by an Examiner at the
patent office for checking whether the application satisfies the three conditions of
patentability and whether the inventive idea comes under any of the categories
barred from getting a patent. During this process, sometimes a patent application
may also get published by the patent office so that everyone is aware that the
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technology described in the application is known and can’t be patented by anyone
else. Moreover, people who are already developing the invention can also refrain
from using the ideas presented in the published application. The date on which the
application is published (disclosed to public) is known as “publication date” of that
application.
After all the checks, if the examiner decides that the patent should be granted then
a notification is issued to the patent filer(applicant/inventor) and the patent is
published with a patent number which looks like “US9503931B2”. The date on
which the granted/issued patent is published is known as the “issue date” or
“grant date” of the patent. You might have already noticed all these dates on
Google Patents or Espacenet. If not, don’t worry. Let’s see this with the help of an
example - US9503931B2. Application for this patent is filed on July 30, 2010, so this
date becomes the application/filing date. The content of this application are
published for the first time as US20110188482A1 on August 04, 2011 (Publication
date of the application). Later it was granted on November 22, 2016, so this date
will be the issue date or grant date for the patent US9503931B2.

Figure 07: Some of the Major Dates of a Patent

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These dates are also mentioned in the patent PDFs, the official website of USPTO
for US patents, Espacenet. To find these, you can simply search for the publication
number or application number on the USPTO, Espacenet, or Google Patents.
For example, issue date of same patent on the USPTO is shown in below snapshot.

Figure 08: Issue Date of a Patent

For other dates, try searching the patent on the USPTO website and look for
“Filed” field and prior-publication data, to find the application/filing date and the
Publication date i.e. date on which the application was published for the first time.
Do you know that the patents are jurisdiction specific? What it means is – if I have
a patent for any invention in US, then I can only use it in United States, outside US
it doesn’t hold any value. So, anyone can use the tech of the patent freely in China,
Japan, Korea, India, etc.

Therefore, to get maximum benefits of the invention or to get maximum returns

from the investments made in the research, usually companies file patent for the
same invention in a range of countries. But to file a patent for the same invention
simultaneously in various countries may be difficult for small companies or
individually working researchers, due to financial and/or administrative issues. So

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the patent law provides a period of one year, from the filing date of the application
for patent in one country, within which one can file a patent filed for the same
invention in another country while claiming Priority from the previously filed
application.
2.4.5 Conditions for Obtaining a Patent - Novelty and Non-Obviousness

In order for an invention to be patentable it must be new as defined in the patent law, which
provides that an invention cannot be patented if:
“(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public
use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the
claimed invention” or
“(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued [by the U.S.] or in an
application for patent published or deemed published [by the U.S.], in which the patent or
application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention.”
A patent cannot be issued if the invention has been disclosed in a printed work published
anywhere in the globe or if it was known or used by anyone in this nation prior to the date
the applicant created his or her creation. A patent cannot be granted if the invention has
been described in a printed publication anywhere, or if it has been in use or for sale in this
country for more than a year prior to the date on which a patent application is filed in this
nation.
In this connection it is immaterial when the invention was made, or whether the printed
publication or public use was by the inventor himself/herself or by someone else. If the
inventor describes the invention in a printed publication or uses the invention publicly, or
places it on sale, he/she must apply for a patent before one year has gone by, otherwise any
right to a patent will be lost. The inventor must file on the date of public use or disclosure,
however, in order to preserve patent rights in many foreign countries.
A patent may still be refused if the differences would be obvious, even if the subject matter
sought to be patented is not exactly revealed by the previous art and involves one or more
differences above the most nearly similar object already known. To be considered

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nonobvious to a person with ordinary skill in the relevant field of technology, the subject
matter sought to be patented must differ sufficiently from what has been used or described
previously.

2.4.6 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

The United States Department of Commerce is home to the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO or Office). The USPTO's responsibilities include trademark
registration and the granting of patents to protect inventions. Regarding their discoveries,
company products, and service identifications, it supports the interests of businesses and
inventors. Also, it provides guidance and support to the President of the United States, the
Secretary of Commerce, the Department of Commerce's bureaus and offices, as well as
other government departments, regarding all local and international elements of
"intellectual property." The Office fosters the nation's industrial and technological
advancement as well as the economy through the preservation, classification, and
dissemination of patent information.
The USPTO is responsible for performing a variety of tasks related to patents, including
examining applications, granting patents on inventions when applicants are eligible,
publishing and disseminating patent information, documenting patent assignments,
maintaining search files for both domestic and foreign patents, and maintaining a search
room open to the public for the purpose of looking up issued patents and records. Public
copies of patents and official documents are made available by the office. In order to clarify
the requirements of the patent legislation and regulations, it publishes the Manual of Patent
Examining Process and offers training to practitioners in this area. Similar tasks are carried
out in relation to trademarks. The USPTO aims to maintain the technological advantage of
the United States, which is essential to our present and future competitiveness, by
promoting technological advancement and protecting intellectual achievements. The
USPTO also makes patent and trademark information available so that people across the
world can develop and share new technology and better understand intellectual property
protection.

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There are three types of patents granted by the USPTO:
 Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful
process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and
useful improvement thereof.
 Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental
design for an article of manufacture; and
 Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually
reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.

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 SOFTWARE ANALYSIS (DATABASES)

3.1 Using Patent Analysis Databases

As a Technology Research Analyst, data extraction plays a key role. It is the first step
before even the analysis could begin and some open source databases work as powerful
tools to provide us with the relevant data we are looking for. Here are some databases that
are used on day-to-day basis for the said role:
1. Google search
2. Google scholar
3. Google patents
4. Espacenet
5. Derwent Innovation
6. Orbit Intelligence
7. USPTO
8. WIPO
9. JPO

1. Google Search: Google Search (also known simply as Google or Google.com) is a

search engine provided and operated by Google. Handling more than 3.5 billion
searches per day, it has a 92% share of the global search engine market. It is the
most-visited website in the world. Additionally, it is the most searched and used
search engine in the entire world.
Google search is a simple yet very effective and powerful tool. Most data extraction
begins with a simple google search.

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 Figure 15: Google Homepage
2. Google Scholar: Google Scholar is a search engine that allows users to search for
academic resources and scholarly literature such as abstracts, full-text articles, theses,
books, and more from across many disciplines.

Figure 16: Google Scholar Advanced Search Window

3. Google Patents: Google Patents is a search engine from Google that indexes patents and
patent applications.

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 Figure 17: Google Patents Advanced Search Window
4. Espacenet: Espacenet (formerly stylized as esp@cenet) is a free online service for
searching patents and patent applications. Espacenet was developed by the European Patent
Office (EPO) together with the member states of the European Patent Organization.

Figure 18: Espacenet Interface

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5. Derwent Innovation: A commercial patent database that provides access to over 60
million patents and patent applications from around the world. Derwent offers a range of
advanced search and analysis tools, including semantic searching, citation analysis, and
patent mapping.

Figure 19: Derwent Interface

6. Orbit Intelligence: Another commercial patent database that offers access to a
comprehensive collection of global patents and patent applications. Orbit Intelligence
features advanced search and analysis capabilities, including semantic search, legal status
tracking, and family tree analysis.

Figure 20: Orbit Interface

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7. United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Centre: The official
patent database of the United States government, which provides access to patents and
patent applications filed with the USPTO. USPTO Patent Centre offers advanced search
capabilities and tools for monitoring the status of patent applications

Figure 21: USPTO Interface

8. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Patent Scope: A free patent database
provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization that allows users to search and
view patents from over 130 countries. Patent Scope offers advanced search capabilities and
tools for monitoring the status of patent applications.

Figure 22: WIPO Interface

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9. Japan Patent Office (JPO) Patent Database: The official patent database of the Japan
Patent Office, which provides access to patents and patent applications filed in Japan. JPO
Patent Database offers advanced search capabilities and tools for monitoring the status of
patent applications.

Figure 23: JPO Interface

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 METHODOLOGY

Conducted a thorough search of various online databases, including the USPTO Patent Full-
Text and Image Database, Google Patents, Espacenet, and WIPO Patent Scope, to identify
relevant prior-art references. Used a combination of keywords related to the subject matter of
the subject patent to perform the search.

 Understanding the Subject Patent:

Overview
A panel-type display device is presented in USRE45117E1 to reduce temperature rise within a
case and a display panel.

In Depth Concept
Problems Targeted By the Subject Patent –
Because of their thinness and light weight, panel-type display devices such as Liquid Crystal
Displays (LCDs) and Plasma Display Panels (PDPs) have grown in popularity. A case, a
display panel, and circuit boards mounted inside the case for electrical connection to the
display panel are typical components of these devices. One issue with such devices is that heat
generated by the display panel and circuit boards can cause an increase in internal temperature,
causing the surface temperature of the display panel to rise and, in the case of LCDs,
potentially causing liquid crystal deterioration.
Attempts in the prior art to cool the display panel and circuit boards using air flow were
insufficient to prevent temperature increases in the interior of the case. The current invention
addresses this issue by introducing a panel-type display device that reduces temperature
increases in the case and display panel.

Brief Description of the Invention –

A case, a display panel mounted inside the case, at least one circuit board controlling the
display panel, a first cooling fluid path to cool the display panel, and a second cooling fluid
path to cool the circuit board are all components of one aspect of the invention. The first and

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second cooling fluid paths are distinct from one another.
Another side of the invention includes a case and a partition plate that divides the interior of
the case into first and second cooling fluid paths. A display panel is also mounted between the
partition plate and the front surface of the case that will be cooled by air flowing through the
first cooling fluid path. It also includes at least one circuit board that is to be cooled by the air
flowing in the second cooling fluid path, which is mounted between the partition plate and the
case's rear surface.

Solution Offered by the Subject Patent –

First and second cooling fluid paths for cooling a display panel and circuit boards are separated
from each other in a panel type display device consistent with the present invention, preventing
a phenomenon in which the circuit boards are heated by the heat of the display panel or the
display panel is heated by the heat of the circuit boards.
As a result, there is an advantage in that the cooling efficiency for the display panel and the
circuit boards is improved, allowing for a reduction in temperature increase in the interior of a
case and the display panel.

Outline of the Features Claimed In the Subject Patent –

According to the embodiments of the invention:-
o As illustrated in Figure 24, a lower portion of the rear case has a number of air inlets
through which air for cooling the display panel can flow, and an upper portion of the rear
case has a number of air outlets through which air in the interior of the case can be
exhausted. Such components independently constitute a first cooling fluid path for cooling
the display panel.

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 Figure 25: Sectional View of a Panel Type Display Device
o As illustrated in Figure 25, a plurality of air flow holes through which air can flow in
internal spaces of the circuit board mounting parts are formed on the covers for respectively
covering the circuit board mounting parts. These components constitute second cooling
fluid paths for respectively cooling the circuit boards.

Figure 26: Exploded Perspective View of the Panel Type Display Device

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o Figure 26 illustrates that a circuit board mounting part is replaced by the partition plate.
Further, a plurality of air flow holes and for air flow of a second cooling fluid path are
formed on the rear case. The first and second cooling fluid paths are separated from each
other by the partition plate mounted on the inner surface of the rear case.

Figure 27: A Sectional View of a Panel Type Display Device

 Categorization: In this project, the searched patents were categorized into three groups
based on their degree of novelty overlapping with the subject patent. The categories were
named as Tier1, Tier2, and Tier3.
Patents that had ideas or novelty overlapping with the subject patent by more than 90% were
categorized in Tier1 which meant that the patents in Tier1 were very closely related to the
subject patent and had a significant overlap in terms of novelty and inventive concepts.
Patents that had an overlap of 80%-90% were categorized in Tier2 which meant that these
patents had some degree of overlap with the subject patent but were not as closely related as
the patents in Tier1.
Finally, patents that had an overlap of about 70% to 80% were categorized in Tier3. These

28
patents had some degree of overlap with the subject patent, but the overlap was less significant
than those in Tier1 and Tier2.
Overall, categorizing the searched patents into these tiers helps to better understand their
relevance and degree of similarity to the subject patent. It also provides a useful framework for
prioritizing the analysis of the patents based on their potential relevance to the invention
described in the subject patent.

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 FINDING AND ANALYSIS
After conducting an extensive search of the online databases, several prior-art references
were identified that could be relevant to the targeted claim 01 of the subject patent. These
references were categorized into three tiers based on their degree of novelty overlapping
with the subject patent.
One of the TIER 2 RESULT was as follows:
US6104451A (Thin display housing with multiple chambers and fans)

The US Patent US6104451A discloses a large thin display unit which has a chassis
structure. The structure has a first horizontally or vertically disposed enclosure, a second
vertically enclosed structure mounted to the upper side of the first enclosure. It also has a
third vertically extending enclosure mounted above the first enclosure behind the second
enclosure. This display unit overcome a plurality of problems. The problem in focus is the
cooling aspect of this patent. The structure of this display unit is made in such a way that an
air route is formed between the third enclosure and a planar portion of the second
enclosure. And the second air route that is formed is between the thin display section and
the planar portion of the second enclosure.

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 Figure 28: A Drawing Displaying Enclosures

An air route is formed between the third enclosure and a planar portion of the second
enclosure, and an air route is formed between the thin display section and the planar portion
of the second enclosure.

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Figure 29: Description of First Cooling Path

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 Figure 30: Description of Second Cooling Path

These air routes are provided to overcome the issue of heating in the display units. Since a
backlight is provided at the back of the display device, so a large amount of heat is
produced. Nowadays, there are a plurality of backlights. So the heat produced by the
backlights and the circuit boards driving the backlights is huge. So dedicated cooling paths
is required.

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Analysis:
After reviewing the prior-art references identified, it appears that each reference discloses
some elements of the targeted claim 01 of the subject patent. The references describe a
cooling system that includes a first cooling path for cooling the display panel and a second
cooling path for cooling the electronic components. The cooling paths are separated from
each other, which minimizes temperature increase in the interior of the case and the display
panel. While each reference may not disclose all elements of the claim, the combination of
the disclosed elements from multiple references suggests that the claim may not be novel or
non-obvious.

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