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State of the Art Search

Identify the technological advancements in a specific field to inform R&D direction and innovation strategies.​

CONTENTS

What is a state of the art search?

A State of the Art (SOA) search, also called a Collection search, is conducted to assess the existing technical advancements in a particular field. 

It identifies prior art relating to a certain technology or technology area, and provides insights regarding the patentability of an invention, infringement risks, evaluation of the inventive step, among others.

Why is a state of the art search conducted?

Research and Development

Inform your R&D strategy by identifying the latest advancements and potential areas for innovation. Identify areas of active research, emerging technologies, and gaps in existing knowledge. A thorough analysis of prior art helps identify alternative solutions to a technical problem.

Competitive Intelligence

Gain a competitive edge by understanding the current technological landscape and positioning your products or services accordingly. As a kind of technology overview, a state of the art search can provide valuable insights on what technology areas competitors are actively pursuing.

IP Portfolio Management

Optimize your intellectual property portfolio by identifying gaps, avoiding infringement, and uncovering licensing opportunities.

IP Strategy

Make well-informed decisions regarding market entry, partnerships, and overall business strategy based on the latest technological trends.

State of the art search vs patent landscape — which one do I need?

While an SOA search may be comparable to a Patent Landscape report (PLR) due to the broader nature of their scope, a patent landscape may have a broader overview and tends to look statistics and trends. 

A state of the art search on the other hand tends to look into a more narrowed down aspect of a technology within a larger domain. 

Here are some of the key differences between the two.

Scope

  • State of the Art Search
    Concentrates on the latest developments and cutting-edge technologies within a specific field.

  • Patent Landscape Report
    Provides a broader overview, encompassing competitor analysis, technology evolution, and potential opportunities and threats.

Depth of analysis

  • State of the Art Search
    Aims for a detailed understanding of the current technological advancements, often involving an in-depth analysis of scientific literature.

  • Patent Landscape Report
    Offers a comprehensive analysis of the entire patent landscape, mapping key players, technology trends, patenting activity, and potential whitespaces.

State of the Art Search Services

  • Expert-led patent search

    A dedicated US-registered patent attorney or subject matter expert, leading and supervising your patent search projects to ensure high quality results.

  • Cost-effective, flexible arrangements

    At Parola Analytics, we are committed to finding the best solutions with our clients. Customize solutions that suit your requirements, budget, and easily integrate them with your workflow.

  • Easy-to navigate reports

    Concise, easy-to-navigate prior art search reports and claims mapping charts that provide you with a clear visual presentation of relevant disclosures.

  • Collaborative approach

    Communicate directly with our patent research analysts at any point to fine-tune your search.

Find prior art

Book a prior art search consultation.

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What our clients are saying

A State of the Art (SOA) search, also called a Collection search, is conducted to assess the existing technical advancements in a particular field. It identifies prior art relating to a certain technology which provides insights regarding the patentability of an invention, infringement risks, evaluation of the inventive step, among others.

A state of the art search, which must be conducted before and during the development of an invention, provides these important advantages:

  • Assess novelty

    While a state of the art search has a wider scope than a patentability search, results of this search can help assess the novelty of an idea or invention.

  • Guide R&D direction and strategy

    Identify areas of active research, emerging technologies, and gaps in existing knowledge. A thorough analysis of prior art helps identify alternative solutions to a technical problem.

  • Identify potential legal risks

    By properly assessing the novelty of an invention, an organization can steer clear from patent infringement, or being subject to inter partes or post grant reviews, and other legal issues.

  • Maintain competitive advantage

    As a kind of technology overview, a state of the art search can provide valuable insights on what technology areas competitors are actively pursuing.

The Parola Advantage

Expert-led research

Patent attorneys lead and review the search. Covering both technical and legal fronts will be advantageous to a firm’s strategy and decision-making.

Broad coverage

Patent and non-patent literature and a thorough examination of existing technology in the field of interest.

Attention to competing art

Paying close attention to how other technologies have solved the same problem to define how clients can differentiate themselves from competitors.

Customized search

Fine-tune the search to meet your requirements and collaborate closely with our patent attorneys and researchers.

A state of the art search can also be considered a subset of a patent landscape report. Speak with our team to find out what type of search meets your business requirements.

State of the Art (SOA), also known as prior art refers to all publicly disclosed information, including patents and non-patent literature. A State of the Art search, also called a Collection Search is performed to gain a comprehensive view of a specific technology domain. The search summarizes the level of development in a particular field, or how a particular technology has advanced. This type of search can aid in a firm’s decision-making process from the IP to the corporate level.

When do I need a State of the Art search?
An SOA search can provide insights, inform decision makers, and aid in crafting the best strategy for an organization’s innovation initiatives. A State of the Art search is needed if you want to:

Enter a new technology domain or market segment

Fine-tune research and development direction and strategy

Insights from an SOA can be a decisive factor in whether to pursue an invention or not. Conducting this search must be done before and during the development of your technology. While this search may provide you information regarding an invention’s novelty and inventive step, an SOA search is not enough to determine patentability.

SOA or Patent Landscape – which one do I need?
While an SOA search may be comparable to a Patent Landscape report (PLR) due to the broader nature of their scope, a patent landscape goes more in depth and looks at graphs and trends. Typical inclusions in a patent landscape report are:

  • Innovation trends (what patents are being filed, granted)
  • Patenting activity (who is patenting what, top applicants/assignees, top inventors)
  • What kind of patents are being filed in a jurisdiction?
  • Technology whitespaces (what areas are not being pursued)
 
 
See samples of our Patent Landscape reports here.

An SOA search on the other hand is considered a subset of a PLR and tends to look into a more narrowed down aspect of a technology within a larger domain. Among the questions that can be answered in a State of the Art Search are:

What are the innovation trends in this technology segment?

What are the existing solutions to the problem I'm trying to solve?

What is company X patenting and producing in a certain location?

What similar products or services already exist in the market?

At Parola Analytics, patent experts lead and review your State of the Art search projects. We build a team from our network of patent attorneys, agents, and subject matter experts that will suit your chosen technology segment. Covering both technical and legal fronts will be advantageous to a firm’s strategy and decision-making processes.

Apart from a comprehensive prior art search covering both patent and non-patent literature, our experts also ensure that we pay close attention to competing art (e.g. how other technologies have solved the same problem, etc). This allows clients to define how they are going to differentiate from competitors. 

Our reports are highly customizable to fit your requirements, and provide a client-approved technical mapping of claims and specifications to the elements of your search.

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