Patent search
A patent search that works like the person you’d pay $3,000
Professional searchers don’t have secret databases — they have a method: decompose the invention, expand the vocabulary, iterate the queries, read the claims. Patent77 runs that method against the live patent record and shows its work, so a first search takes minutes instead of two weeks.
3 real searches a month, free. No card.
The method
What happens when you press search
Describe the invention
Write what it is, what it does, and what you believe is different - plain English, a paragraph or two. No query syntax, no classification codes.
The engine plans the search
It decomposes the description into claim-style elements, expands each into patent-speak synonyms, and drafts corpus queries the way a professional searcher would.
It searches the live record
Queries run against the live Google Patents corpus and iterate until results converge. Every executed query is shown in the result.
You get cited, scored references
The closest documents come back ranked 0-1 for relevance, each with its publication number, a one-line overlap note, and a link to the source - plus a headline knockout-risk read.
A real run
An actual search, unedited
Real publication numbers, real scores. Click any reference to verify it at the source.
Invention, as described
A bicycle helmet with an integrated crash-detection module. An accelerometer and gyroscope detect an impact exceeding a threshold; the helmet then flashes its rear LED array in an SOS pattern and sends an emergency alert with GPS coordinates over Bluetooth to a paired phone app, which escalates to an emergency contact if the rider does not cancel within a countdown window. The module is removable and recharges wirelessly.
Bicycle Helmet with Crash-Detection and Emergency Alert Module
No single reference discloses the full claimed combination, so there's no clean knockout. But the pieces are scattered across close prior art: CN212994760U already shows a helmet with rear LEDs, an accelerometer, GPS and a rechargeable supply, US20160066640A1 shows a gyroscope-driven algorithm that contacts emergency responders after a collision, and FR2925874A1 shows an accelerometer-triggered Bluetooth alert signal. An examiner could combine these (plus EP3815067B1's alerting/communication features) to mount a fairly strong obviousness rejection, particularly against the SOS-LED, GPS-Bluetooth-alert, and escalation elements. The countdown-cancellation (e5) and true wireless-recharging-when-detached (e7) features appear to be the most novel, least-anticipated aspects in this set.
Claim elements
- E1helmet with module. A bicycle helmet having an integrated, removable crash-detection module.
- E2impact sensor. An accelerometer and gyroscope configured to detect an impact exceeding a predetermined threshold.
- E3rear LED SOS signal. A rear-mounted LED array that flashes in an SOS pattern in response to a detected impact.
- E4Bluetooth GPS alert. A wireless transmitter that sends an emergency alert with GPS coordinates over Bluetooth to a paired mobile application.
- E5countdown cancellation. A countdown window during which the rider may cancel the emergency alert before further escalation.
- E6emergency contact escalation. Logic that escalates the alert to a designated emergency contact if the countdown expires without cancellation.
- E7wireless recharging. A removable module configured to be wirelessly recharged when detached from the helmet.
Queries executed
- › helmet "crash detection" accelerometer gyroscope impact
- › bicycle helmet "emergency alert" GPS Bluetooth
- › helmet sensor "emergency contact" countdown cancel
- › wearable "fall detection" (helmet OR headgear) notification
- › helmet rear LED "SOS" impact indicator
- › removable crash sensor module wireless charging helmet
- › impact sensor helmet paired smartphone app alert
- › bicycle helmet (accelerometer OR gyroscope) automatic emergency notification
149 candidates considered before rerank
Intelligent helmet
North China University of Science and Technology · 2021-04-20
Discloses a smart helmet with a rear-mounted LED dot-matrix array, an accelerometer, a GPS chip, and a rechargeable power supply built into the main control board.
Reads on E1 · E2 · E3 · E4
Augmented Reality Motorcycle Helmet
Skully Inc · 2016-03-10
Abstract describes a gyroscope providing acceleration output to an algorithm that contacts emergency responders after a collision if the rider is non-responsive, though the claimed invention itself is a rear-camera display system.
Reads on E2 · E6
Activity monitoring system and method for incident detection and response
Saphibeat Technologies Inc · 2021-05-11
Wearable/helmet-integrated activity monitoring device with motion sensors, processor and communication module that analyzes motion patterns for injury/incident detection and response.
Reads on E1 · E2 · E6
+ 9 further references in the full example.
Real run · 2026-07-11 · every reference links to its source document.
Do it yourself, too
We'll also teach you the manual method
A careful searcher checks tools against their own judgment. Our guides teach the same professional method by hand: how to do a patent search, what a patent search costs, and what counts as prior art. Use Patent77 for the fast first pass; use the method to check it.
FAQ
Questions, answered plainly
How is this different from typing keywords into Google Patents?
Google Patents retrieves what you ask for; the quality depends on the queries you write. Most DIY searches miss prior art because patents use deliberately broad vocabulary (a spring is a 'biasing member'). Patent77 plans the queries: it breaks your invention into elements, expands synonyms into patent-speak, and iterates - then shows you exactly which queries it ran.
What does a patent search cost here?
Three real searches a month are free (top 5 references). Pro at $49/month includes 50 searches and 10 full patentability reports. A search firm typically charges $1,000-$3,000 per search and takes one to two weeks.
Are the results trustworthy?
Every reference is a real public document, cited by publication number and linked to its source so you can verify it in one click. The result also states how many candidates were considered and what the search did not cover. No automated or professional search is exhaustive; treat a clean result as encouraging, not conclusive.
Do I need the paid report?
If you just want to see what's out there, no - free searches show the closest references with scores. The paid report adds what an attorney will actually ask about: the element-by-element reads-on matrix, an examiner-style novelty and obviousness narrative, and a PDF you can share.
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See what the record says about your idea.
Describe the invention once. Three free searches a month, real engine, every reference cited to its source.