Why are we doing this?
Patexia is trying to determine if a patent idea was known and publicly available before a certain date.
Think of yourself as a fact checker. We need your help understanding if this patent is the first time a combination of features has ever been published.
What’s the ideal submission?
An ideal submission will include:
- a single argument about why the patent idea was known before the patent existed
- a reference that was filed or published before a certain date
- explained answers that cite published reference that prove how well the idea was known
- proof that the reference generally describes the idea described in our questions
Specifically:
- a single argument means that the entire submission is focused in proving the patent idea was known beforehand
- an example is a submission with a single reference that is used to answer our questions
- another example is a submission with three references that includes an explanation of how they were intended to be combined, and together are used to answer our questions
- an example of what is not a single argument is a submission with multiple references, with no explanation as to how they should be combined
What’s the right date?
We’re looking for references that have been filed or published before a specific date. Anything too late, the reference is too recent to prove that an idea was known beforehand.
If you’re working with patents, here’s a great USPTO flowchart to help you figure out the effective filing date.
How do I get $?
For Prior Art Search contests, we will use a single contest prize pool distribution where:
- we award winners/runners up and money based on the entirety of their submission
- you can earn money if your submission is amongst the top ranked in the entire Contest
You are competing with your peers in submitting:
- the best ranked argument and explanation for how well the idea or technology was known beforehand
- the best ranked reference(s) in the entire Contest