A patent search, often called a novelty search, is a legal service where a patent searcher researches through the granted patents and published patent application of the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the same or similar inventions as that of the inventor.  

A patent search is typically performed prior to the filing of a non-provisional utility patent application. 

Although a patent search is not required prior to the filing of patent application and cannot guarantee that a patent will issue. the patent search has many benefits including:

 - identifying potential problems to patentability of an invention

 - offers a template to the patent attorney in order to help draft the best patent application possible

 - allows a inventor to study what others have done and possibly improve his or her own invention