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Free · semantic patent search · see the prior art first

Before you commit, see how far others have already taken this direction

Do not sink six months into R&D only to find the direction is already fenced in by patents, or that you reinvented the wheel. Describe your idea in plain words and a free semantic search surfaces the most relevant patents and applications, so you can see the edge of the prior art at a glance.

Start free searchSee how it works

Semantic search is free · sign up to view the full result · a deeper analysis report is optional

Skip the search, and R&D is easily wasted

The prior art is already out there — see it early, save the trouble

The direction is already fenced in

Sinking months in only to find the core idea already exists in patents or literature means you just re-validated someone else's work. Check first, and you can pivot in time.

Reinventing the wheel

For the same problem, a mature solution may already exist. A pass over the prior art lets you stand on others' shoulders instead of feeling your way from zero.

Hitting a patent wall too late

You finish R&D and get ready to ship, only to find a key technique blocked by someone's patent. The earlier you know, the more time you have to design around or license.

What you see after the search

Not a pile of keyword hits — a prior-art map ordered by relevance

The most relevant patents and applications

Semantic search (not literal keyword matching) surfaces the patents, published applications, and literature closest to your direction, ranked by relevance.

What each of them does

A key-point summary for each, so you can quickly judge how far others took this path and where it differs from your idea.

Room to innovate

Once you see the edge of the prior art, you know more clearly where your novelty is, where the white space remains, and where to dig next.

How it works (3 steps)

  1. 1

    Describe your technical direction

    Plainly write the problem you want to solve, the core idea, and the key technical features. The more specific, the sharper the search.

  2. 2

    Semantic search the prior art

    The tool searches relevant patents and applications by meaning (not just keywords) and ranks them by relevance for you.

  3. 3

    Read the prior-art map

    Browse the most relevant results and their key-point summaries to judge feasibility and room to innovate. Sign up to view the full result; a deeper analysis report is optional.

Start free search

Straight talk: this is a prior-art search, not an infringement judgment

The search helps you quickly see the edge of the prior art in a direction, but finding relevant patents does not mean you infringe, and finding none does not mean you are free. To judge whether you can operate freely or whether to launch, take the search into an FTO analysis or an attorney review.

Need to judge infringement risk? Run an FTO analysis →

Frequently asked questions

Is it really free?

Semantic search is free; sign up to view the full search result. A structured search-analysis report is a separate paid item.

How is this different from ordinary keyword search?

It finds relevant patents by understanding the meaning of your description rather than matching keywords literally, so a different phrasing still surfaces relevant results closer to your actual direction.

If it finds a relevant patent, does that mean I cannot proceed?

No. A search shows the prior art; it is not an infringement judgment. A relevant hit only means others have worked in this direction. Whether you can operate freely depends on the specific claims — take it into an FTO analysis.

Which countries are covered?

Currently covers China (invention + utility model) and US patent data; on the China site the search runs against an in-country database.

Is my idea safe?

Your description is used only for this search. For unpublished inventions, describe only enough to search, or consult first before adding detail.

What do I do after the search?

Two common paths: take the direction to Design-Around or keep sharpening your novelty; or run an FTO analysis to judge whether you can operate freely.

Disclaimer

This tool provides a prior-art search. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee the completeness of the search. Search results are not a conclusion of infringement or non-infringement; whether patent risk exists should be determined by a qualified patent attorney's formal opinion.