All applications for patents begin with a patent search. You need to do this in order to determine if your creation is indeed new and unique, or just an imitation or recreation (however unwitting) of something that already exists. There are many ways to begin a patent search, but almost all begin the same way: with a thorough descriptions of the thing, device, or process you want to patent. You may want to use a thesaurus for this. Refer to the section of this guide on researching patents.
Break down your item or process into individual components. For example, if you wanted to patent a tool that mowed your lawn by shooting a cutting laser across it, you'd want to break the lawn mower into its components: the laser itself, its housing (the box or case in which it sits), the targeting device, and so forth. You also want to think of some additional terms that describe your device's purpose: lawn, garden, mower, cutter, etc. Write down the terms for later use.
The USPTO offers a brochure detailing the seven steps that need to be completed for a successful patent search. The brochure is linked here; you may want to print it for easy future reference.
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