Patents can be difficult to search because they often use complicated, obscure legal-technical language.
The right way to do a patent search depends on what you're trying to find and how rigorous you need to be. A basic exploratory search might take the form of a keyword search in a database like Google Patents or Derwent Innovations Index, using patent classifications to expand or narrow your search as needed. A more rigorous patentability search, on the other hand, might follow the USPTO's official "Seven Step Strategy" process and use the official government patent searching tools.
