Key Takeaways

  • Thompson Innovation (by Thomson Reuters) is a powerful patent research platform that integrates global patent databases, analytics, and AI-assisted insights.
  • Although Thompson Innovation is a free search tool in limited capacities, professional users and corporations can access premium versions for deeper analytics and patent mapping.
  • The tool allows inventors and IP professionals to search patents, track competitors, and assess prior art efficiently.
  • AI-driven enhancements in the Thomson Reuters suite, such as Westlaw and CoCounsel, now integrate with patent and legal research for faster, more accurate insights.
  • Understanding how to use Thompson Innovation effectively helps ensure compliance, avoid patent infringement, and support strong patent applications.

Thompson Patent Search

If you run a Thompson patent search, you’ll find many inventions that are, or were protected by a patent by inventors named Thompson, including James and Barry Thompson.

James Thompson’s inventions include pressure-boards and rollers, whereas Barry Thompson’s inventions include circuit boards, laser circuits and methods, and other computer technological processes and methods.

If you need to find prior or current patents that were invented by those named Thompson, the search may produce a significant amount of results. When running a patent search, it is important to know what inventions are already protected by a patent before you submit your patent application.

Remember that when submitting your patent application, even if you didn’t find any prior patents, you are still at risk of rejection if the patent examiner believes that your invention does not meet the requirements.

Helpful Websites

You can visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website. The patents go back to 1976, so anything prior to that will not show up in your search results. However, bibliographic searches can be conducted from 1790 to the current year.

Google offers free patent searches. This search database provides text-searchable ability dating back to 1790. There are several companies that provide search results for worldwide patent searches (for a fee). Such companies include Thompson-Reuters, Delphion, and PatBase.

Understanding Thompson Innovation and Its Capabilities

Thompson Innovation is a web-based patent research and analysis platform developed by Thomson Reuters to simplify access to global patent data. While Thompson Innovation is a free search tool in its basic form, it also offers professional subscriptions that expand access to advanced analytics and full-text patent databases. Its primary goal is to help users locate prior art, assess patentability, and monitor intellectual property trends worldwide.

Key capabilities include:

  • Global Database Access: Search patents from over 100 countries, including USPTO, EPO, WIPO, and Asian patent authorities.
  • AI-Enhanced Search: Uses intelligent indexing and semantic search tools to find relevant patents based on context, not just keywords.
  • Patent Analytics: Generate visual insights—such as technology trends, competitor portfolios, and filing patterns—to guide R&D and legal strategy.
  • Collaboration Tools: Allow teams to annotate, share, and compare patent documents within a secure research environment.

This platform supports inventors, attorneys, and corporations in efficiently identifying innovation opportunities while avoiding duplication of existing patents.

Patent Infringement

Patent infringement could occur if you use, manufacture, or create a product that is already being protected by a patent. If this happens, you may become victim of a patent infringement suit, which can be lengthy and expensive. Additionally, it could cost you your business and professional reputation.

You could be sued if: [1] you legitimately infringed on a patent; [2] you inadvertently infringed on a patent; [3] you didn’t actually infringe, but the other party wants to bring suit for monetary purposes.

In this type of lawsuit, you are not liable if you didn’t actually infringe on another’s patent rights or if the patent expired or was deemed invalid. Further, you might not be held liable if the plaintiff can’t prove that you knew or had reason to know about the patent.

If you’re being sued for patent infringement, you’ll want to contact a lawyer who can identify your rights and responsibilities. It is not advisable to work pro se (being your own lawyer), as you have less legal resources and less experience handling litigation.

How AI and Data Analytics Enhance Patent Searches

Modern patent research relies heavily on artificial intelligence and data analytics, and Thomson Reuters has been at the forefront of integrating these tools into legal workflows. With solutions such as Westlaw Precision, Practical Law, and CoCounsel, AI systems can analyze massive patent datasets and extract key legal concepts, claims, and citations in seconds.

These innovations allow users to:

  • Identify Prior Art Faster: AI can filter irrelevant results and prioritize the most legally significant patents.
  • Predict Trends: Analytics reveal emerging technologies and predict competitor behavior through patent filing data.
  • Automate Summarization: Advanced models summarize patent claims, making it easier for attorneys to evaluate infringement risks.
  • Integrate Legal Insight: Legal AI tools combine patent information with case law and regulatory databases, offering a holistic view of IP strategy.

By combining Thompson Innovation with these AI-driven research tools, inventors and firms gain a strategic advantage in protecting and commercializing their intellectual property.

Barry Thompson Patents

Below is a list of Barry Thompson’s most notable patents, most of which involve computer and electronic methods, apparatuses, and display modules.

• Power efficient laser diode driver circuit and method, a power supply controller that can adjust voltage levels of the power supply.

• Transducer measurement, which measures a transducer. An example of a transducer is a translinear proportional-to-absolute-temperature sensor that uses amplifiers. These include pressure sensors, magnetometers, and accelerometers.

• Mobile screening apparatus

• Regenerative power supply system and method, which is comprised of a generator, an electric drive motor, a transmission device, and an energy storage device. The device itself controls the flow of electricity to an electric drive motor.

• Interference reduction for TOF systems

• Systems and methods for network virtualization

• Method and apparatus for scanning and device detection in a communication system

• Method and apparatus for iterative synchronization of two or more electronic devices

• Method of driving an electro-optic display utilizing internal capacitance to smooth a digitally modulated signal

• Matching current source/sink apparatus, which is a method of compensating for capacitance of a programming line of an OLED display.

• Method and apparatus for generation of a system master timebase of a computing device using indirect signaling of timing information.

• Charge equalizing clock driver and other enhancements for time-of-flight depth sensing and other systems.

• Tool for reconfiguring the pins of a tractor trailer electrical connector

• Method and apparatus for medium reservation and medium reservation modification in a communication system.

• Automatic slack adjuster tool

• Gel insoles with lower heel and toe recesses having thin spring walls

• A specific method for feeding livestock, which can be beneficial when an animal is being fed a diet that causes acid conditions on the rumen.

Practical Uses of Thompson Innovation for Businesses

Businesses use Thompson Innovation not only to search patents but also to make informed R&D and investment decisions. For example:

  • Competitor Analysis: Companies can monitor filings from industry rivals to anticipate market trends.
  • Portfolio Management: Organizations can visualize their patent holdings and identify underutilized assets.
  • Market Entry Strategy: By analyzing patent clusters in target regions, firms can assess potential infringement risks before launching products.
  • Research Collaboration: Universities and startups often use the platform’s analytics to identify potential licensing or partnership opportunities.

Thomson Reuters’ integration of AI across its platforms ensures that innovation data remains current, actionable, and legally reliable.

If you need help interpreting patent search results or securing IP protection, you can find a qualified attorney on UpCounsel who specializes in patent law.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Is Thompson Innovation really a free search tool?
    Yes, Thompson Innovation offers limited free patent searching capabilities, but professional plans provide advanced analytics, visualization, and full-text document access.
  2. How does Thompson Innovation differ from Google Patents?
    While Google Patents is a free keyword-based tool, Thompson Innovation offers AI-enhanced search, global database integration, and legal analytics designed for professionals.
  3. Can AI help improve patent research accuracy?
    Absolutely. AI-powered platforms like those by Thomson Reuters help identify relevant prior art and predict industry trends faster and more accurately than manual methods.
  4. What are the benefits of using Thomson Reuters’ integrated legal tools?
    Using tools like Westlaw, CoCounsel, and Thompson Innovation together allows professionals to access case law, regulations, and patents in a single research ecosystem.
  5. Who uses Thompson Innovation the most?
    Patent attorneys, inventors, R&D teams, universities, and corporations use it for innovation tracking, competitive analysis, and intellectual property strategy planning.

If you need help with running a Thompson patent search you can post your legal need on UpCounsel’s marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5-percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law, and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with, or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.