> And while search technology has improved, it hasn't become orders of magnitude better.
The old "search technology" was "shoes" (boxes) of 5-20 patents arranged by patent classification. Patent examiners literally walking through the stacks of files to get the relevant shoes. This takes more physical time than doing a classification search using a computerized search tool.
There were some advantages of the old system that were not transferred to the new search. Specifically, in the old system Examiners would see each other as they were walking the stacks. Notes could be left on the paper copies in the shoes. This knowledge sharing is not included in the current USPTO system.
The old "search technology" was "shoes" (boxes) of 5-20 patents arranged by patent classification. Patent examiners literally walking through the stacks of files to get the relevant shoes. This takes more physical time than doing a classification search using a computerized search tool.
There were some advantages of the old system that were not transferred to the new search. Specifically, in the old system Examiners would see each other as they were walking the stacks. Notes could be left on the paper copies in the shoes. This knowledge sharing is not included in the current USPTO system.