Understanding search syntax.

"Hey Cal, what do all those numbers and codes at the bottom of my search report mean?"

Each search report includes the search text entered into the Examiner Automated Search Tool (EAST) workstation when the search was conducted. While some of the operators may be obvious, others need some explanation. Below is a quick guide to some of the common operators used for a search.

Proximity
ADJ
wafer ADJ polish
One keyword next to another keyword

WITH
wafer WITH polish
One word in the same sentence as another.

AND
wafer AND polish
Both words appear anywhere in the patent

NEAR
nano$ NEAR2 (particle OR abrasive)
Here any word beginning with "nano" and within two words of the word "particle" or the word "abrasive" will be found

Truncation and Location
wafer same polish$4
"wafer" in the same paragraph as "polish", but with the added suffix "$4", other words with the same beginning with be found. (i.e. polished, polishing polisher). The "$4" will look for words with up to four letters in addition to the root word, so "$8" would look for eight additional letters, but "polish$2" would find polished, but not polishing.

(wafer and polishing)[ti,ab,clm]
"wafer" and "polishing" appearing in the patent title, in the abstract or the in the claims

Classification
"439".clas.
Any patent in US class 439

439/65.ccls.
All patents currently classified in US class 439, subclass 65 (both original classification and cross-reference classification).

439/395-475.ccls.
All patents currently classified in all subclasses between 439/395 and 439/475 inclusive.

H01R004/42[epc,ipc]
All patents assigned to H01R004/42 using international patent classification or european patent classification (used in US, European, Japanese and Derwent international databases)

V04-B01.epi.
Derwent World Patent Index documents (international coverage) classed in V04-B01 (.epi. refers to electrical fields while .cpi. refers to chemical fields)

Citation
("20020039469" | "6108478" | "6229947" | "6253099" | "6411764" | "6760520").PN. OR ("7359593").URPN.
The string of numbers above is a forward and backward citation search for US 7359593. So, all US patents cited on the front of 7359593 and any later US patent that cites 7359593 will be found. This string is often replaced on the report with a notation such as "Forward and backward citation search of US 7359593".

Reports generally include a syntax list arranged in columns with the set number, the number of hits and the search text string. If you notice a gap in the set numbers, it may be sets that returned zero hits or strings that VanSant Patent Services considers proprietary ("trade secrets" of patent searching).

Inventors or attorneys may be aware of terms of art that may not be known to the searcher. If you become aware of a term you would like added to a strategy, I would be glad to rerun the pertinent lines of the syntax with the added word or words.

If you ever have any questions about the syntax you see on a report, I would be happy to explain the strategy or codes used.