A prior art search will uncover any knowledge existing prior to the invention at hand which gives an accurate ideas of how novel and non-obvious the invention is. Then, the inventor can re-work his invention and patent application according to the prior arts to enable the grant of a patent for the invention. Thus, a prior art search will help to distinguish between what is already known (prior art) and what is new (invention).

The secondary benefit of a prior art search is that an inventor can also use the findings to understand the prevailing state of art in his field of research. This will provide guidance on the ideation of how the future scope of research could be. There are different types of patent search activities as follows;

• State-of-the-art searches – what solutions are there to my technical problem?
• Novelty/patentability searches – can I obtain a patent for my invention?
• Validity searches –is this patent valid; can it be legally challenged?
• Name searches – what inventions has this individual or company been involved in?
• Technology activity searches – how has this technology developed over time and who has been involved in its development?
• Freedom to operate searches; legal status searches – can I produce and/or commercialise this product in that country; has this patent been granted; is it in force?