(Research Bias and In-house Research forward here)

Double blind study or double blind research refers to a type of intellectual property research, although this method is used in many other fields. Double blind research is commonly used in market analyses because it provides a high level of impartiality. Whenever professional opinions are used to describe the potential of a commercial product, impartial or unbiased information is considered the most credible. Establishing research and credibility is a key objective for pre-patent or trade secret concepts. One simple example of a of double blind study is a taste test. None of the testers know the identity of the product or it's maker. None of the makers know the testers or the test methods. Double blind-research has become an industry standard for market studies in the intellectual property field. By meeting or exceeding industry research standards, associated research, patent ventures meet fewer obstacles when pursuing the licensing or startup model.

Background

Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations known to have written tests for products and remedies. Some examples date back 4000 years. Today, most major purchases are backed up with consumer information that came from testing and research. In most cases, a product will go through many research studies before hitting the open market. Over the centuries, testing systems have constantly improved. Double blind research was developed to handle cases where the results have to be reliable and believable. Market analyses typically summarize multi-million dollar markets and production investments for manufacturers. For this reason, intellectual property is backed up by gold-standard research that is widely recognized as credible and unbiased. With more independents entering the intellectual property field for the first time, patent marketing group have offered in-house studies to such inventors who are not aware of double blind research standards. Similarly to patent pending schemes offered by patent marketing operations at the fringes of the industry, this in-house research leads to concerns about the credibility of the project when considered for licensing.

For Independent Inventors

Independent inventors don't usually have access to high-end research for their ideas, but most inventors find out that businesses expect a lot of factual backup for a patent they're considering. Traditionally, entrepreneurs and inventors would turn to invention promotion or patent marketing companies for their research needs. These companies typically complete this sort of research in-house. In-house research is not done in a double-blind format. The testers are working for the inventor for a fee. Since the signing of the American Inventor's Protection Act, the United States Patent and Trademark Office describes performing in-house studies as a conflict of interest. Businesses considering licensing of a patent can instantly identify research conducted in this way, normally ending the corporate review of the concept. Recent technologies allow inventors open access to double blind research and production teams at economical costs. Inventors share enrollment and study costs across dozens of ideas headed for research. To meet the double-blind standard, any volume buying resource will have to carefully manage confidentiality in the research process.

Patent Services USA

Patent Services started as a think tank dedicated to defeating some of the obstacles independent inventors face, especially when filing for a first patent. Credibility and research has always been a hurdle for independents. The patent marketing companies were offering in-house research or studies done in and on foreign markets. Time after time, inventors would invest into research that fails to meet industry credibility standards. We have had tremendous success with pooling patent lawyers and a large volume of inventors together to keep costs down. By our first year, we established a rock solid spread of private and university research bodies that could deliver standardized research for inventors working with us. By managing the researchers, Patent Services can also ensure total confidentiality across all research lines - true double blind research. Trustworthy research can give a good idea a serious chance at licensing, but we understand that start-ups and independents have cost challenges long before a patent is even filed. We developed the industry's leading technology for matching independent inventors with available attorneys, researchers and creative contractors. When grouping dozens of projects into a single buy, costs are often below what many large businesses have access to. Often times, we are able to provide gold-standard research at similar cost to research fabricated at a patent marketing company or imported from foreign outsources. Find out if your project is a good fit for the patent process through confidential submission. Start here.