Q: How do I find out if a product has had a patent filed on it?
I am looking for any patents that exist on a 'piano chord computer' which provides the ability to dial in the 'chord' (Am, C#, etc.) and it will read out the layout of the chord on a piano.
A: You can hire a patent search company or patent lawyer who also provides that service. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more about me, my credentials, awards, honors, testimonials, and media appearances/ publications on my law practice website. I practice law in CA, NY, MA, and DC in the following areas of law: Business & Contracts, Criminal Defense, Divorce & Child Custody, and Education Law. This answer does not constitute legal advice; make any predictions, guarantees, or warranties; or create any Attorney-Client relationship.
A:
There are a number of ways going about it.
First, you should take a look if something like that is already on a market. If you search the phrase 'piano chord computer', on Google or similar search engines, do you find that your results are closely matching the computer that you have in mind? If so, then the product should have patent markings on it, or on the packaging.
Secondly, if there are no markings on the product or packaging, then take a look at the piano chord computer's manufacturer/publisher/seller's website. It should have patent information on their products there.
Thirdly, if you have the name of the manufacturer of the piano chord computer, you can look up the manufacturer's name in the database of patents (http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html) or take a look at patents that have been assigned to the maker of the piano chord computer (https://assignment.uspto.gov/patent/index.html#/patent/search)
Fourthly, if there are no piano chord computer's available to what you have in mind, you may want to search for it in the patent database. It is possible that it has been patented, but the product is not on the market for some other reasons.
Now, if you are not a professional patent searcher, you will likely not do such a thorough job as a professional would. But you will likely find, say, 70-80% of patents that the professional would. There is a possibility that closest patent is going to be in the 20-30%. Is it worth it to hire a professional searcher or is this good enough? Well, that's a business decision that you need to make.
Good luck!
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