What are the sources of prior art?
The reservoir of prior art is vast. The most common sources of prior art are patents, published patent applications, and non-patent literature, such as journals, books, academic work, product literature, and internet publications. Prior art also includes physical embodiments of products and evidence of sale or public use. Even a Donald Duck story can be used as prior art. Each of these sources of prior art requires a different search approach and are more or less applicable depending on the subject area of technology. Patent collections are distinguished from other prior art information sources by their excellent organization and accessibility. Patents are one of the most thoroughly indexed and documented forms of literature, allowing specific prior art database search information to be retrieved and reviewed with considerable accuracy. The patents issued or patent applications published by the USPTO, EPO, PCT, and JPO cover more than 90% of patents and applications filed worldwide. Th
