Can I use Google Patents to find prior art for a software invention, or are there better specialized databases I should be searching right now?
Download run
Fan-out diagram
The searches the AI actually ran for this prompt.
SEED QUERY
Can I use Google Patents to find prior art for a software invention, or are there better specialized databases I should be searching right now?
2 real searches · 1 real-search pass
Badge and edge weight = share of passes that produced the query. Hover a query for its intent and routing format.
Query classes
Google's semantic query class for every sub-query: what kind of answer each search is after, simulated vs real.
ChatGPT real searches (2)
Classes come from the query-classifier (a local Laya model). 2 of 2 calls are low-confidence (under 50%) — hover a query in the table to see its confidence.
Searches and sources
ChatGPT2 real searches · gpt-6
best patent prior art search databases software inventions Google Patents Espacenet WIPO PATENTSCOPE USPTO Patent Center Lens 2026 Google ↗
software patent prior art non patent literature databases IEEE Xplore ACM Digital Library arXiv Google Scholar search Google ↗
- Google Patents · patents.google.com
- USPTO Patent Public Search · ppubs.uspto.gov
- Espacenet · worldwide.espacenet.com
- WIPO PATENTSCOPE · patentscope.wipo.int
- The Lens · lens.org
- PQAI · projectpq.ai
- Search for patents · uspto.gov
- How to Conduct a Prior Art Search · casrai.org
- Search Tips - Patent Searching · guides.library.cornell.edu
- IEEE Xplore · ieeexplore.ieee.org
- About IEEE Xplore · ieeexplore.ieee.org
- ACM Digital Library · dl.acm.org
- Google Scholar · scholar.google.com
- arXiv · arxiv.org
- Semantic Scholar · semanticscholar.org
- GitHub · github.com
- Science Databases and Other Electronic Resources listed by Subject - Research Services · commons.lbl.gov
- Databases & E-Journals - Computer Science (CS) - Library Guides at University of Washington Libraries · guides.lib.uw.edu
- Find Articles - Computer Science - Library Research Guide · guides.library.harvard.edu
- Searching with Classifications - Patents and Trademarks - Guides @ UF at University of Florida · guides.uflib.ufl.edu
- Stack Overflow · stackoverflow.com
- Wayback Machine · web.archive.org
- DBLP · dblp.org
- TechRxiv · techrxiv.org
Queries
2 queries · click a column to sort
| Query / type | Search | Intent | Query class | Routing format | Cluster | Freq ↓ | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
best patent prior art search databases software inventions Google Patents Espacenet WIPO PATENTSCOPE USPTO Patent Center Lens 2026 OBSERVED | Google ↗ AI Mode ↗ | — | Comparison | — | — | 1x of 1 | |
software patent prior art non patent literature databases IEEE Xplore ACM Digital Library arXiv Google Scholar search OBSERVED | Google ↗ AI Mode ↗ | — | Comparison | — | — | 1x of 1 |