With the evermore uncertain circumstances of COVID-19, one thing
is becoming clear: working from home, at least part time, is here
to stay. With limited or no access to on-site resources such as
labs, those working in Research and Development (R&D) may find
they are reliant on only digital resources. This may present
challenges in how to conduct your research effectively.
With this article, I hope to show that the patent system can
provide helpful tools to aid your research and perhaps extend it to
new areas, even while working from home. Even without the enforced
RFH, exploring patent literature can, and should, be a standard
part of initial studies in research and development.
In the world of patents, there is a well-known trade-off; in
order to obtain protection (i.e. a monopoly on your invention for a
limited time period), the invention must be published to enhance
the world's technical knowledge. This means that there is a
wealth of information available to any
