I launched a prior art search tool on Product Hunt today — Patent Gnome
Hey IH — I launched Patent Gnome on Product Hunt today and wanted to share it here.
The problem: patent attorneys charge $1,500–$4,000 for a prior art search and take months. For a founder or inventor who just wants to know "is this space clear before I build?" — that's overkill.
So I built a pipeline that does the research step: enters your idea in plain language, searches EPO, academic databases, and the global web, analyzes 150+ patents, and returns direct collisions with real patent numbers and links. Under 60 seconds. $30.
If you're blocked it also generates 5 alternative directions to explore.
Not a legal opinion — the research that informs one.
Would love feedback from anyone who's dealt with patent search before, or anyone building in hardware/biotech/deep tech where this is most relevant.
🔗 patent-gnome.com
🔗 Product Hunt: https://www.producthunt.com/products/patent-gnome?utm_source=other&utm_medium=social
Interesting product.
The thing I'd be careful with is that the search itself may not be the hardest part of the sale.
Right now I can see at least a few different buyers hiding inside the same pitch, and they don't all have the same reason for wanting a prior-art search.
The useful decision is probably not whether Patent Gnome works. It's who needs the answer badly enough to act on it before spending more time or money elsewhere.
I wouldn't make that call casually in-thread because it changes the positioning more than the underlying product.