VanSant Patent Services provides a variety of search types tailored to your needs.
Patentability
A search conducted to identify previously issued or published patents that may prevent the applicant from obtaining a patent. Average seach time - 10 hours*.

Infringement
A search directed to the claims of active patents that may read on aspects of the product or process being searched. Average search time - 17 hours*.

Freedom-to-operate
Similar to an infringement search, but expanded to include expired patents, the goal being to discover "right-to-make" art. Average search time 20 hours*.

Validity
A search directed to patents or other published prior art that may render a patent invalid. Depending on needs of the clients, a validity search can include US patents and pre-grant publication, non-US patent art, on-line databases (Dialog), a literature search at the Library of Congress and investigations into public use of the claimed device or process. Average search time 29 hours*.

Accelerated Examination Search
A search completed in accordance with PTO requirements for Accelerated Examination Procedure. It is recommended that a thorough patentability search be conducted first, this allows the attorney to draft a set of realistic claims for the Accelerated Examination Search. A second search is conducted and documented for the Accelerated Examination Support Document (AESD). This second search is based on the templates provided by the UPSTO and is conducted with the Examiner Automated Search Tool (EAST) and other on-line database sources. Using the EAST system at the PTO has the benefit of providing a syntax list in a format that the examiner is familiar with and one they can easily evaluate - expediting the examinating process.

State-of-the-art
A search on a topic or art area within a specified time period (i.e. recent pre-grant publications only, or last five years of issued and pre-grant).

Collection
A search conducted on a specific technology topic, inventor, assignee, etc.

A sample of recent search topics:
Burn-in socket for high-density IC chip carrier
Fuel-level sensor
Vehicle fuse array and power distribution system
Improvement in multi-color painting process
Home security audio detection sensor and processing
Blow-molding apparatus and method
Prosthetic knee joint
Concrete form and process for modular buildings
Photovoltaic panel
Social networking method
Light emitting diode array with heat sink
Liquid product packaging apparatus
Storm water storage device and method

All search reports are tailored to the needs of the requesting attorney. Each report includes the full search syntax and the classification details of all areas searched.

*These averages for general information purposes only, each search is different and requires individual evaluation to estimate the time required.