Materials Search - Video

How to Use General Search in Eureka Materials for Patent Landscape Research

• 1. Open the Material Search Tool [0:18]
  • From the Eureka Materials page, scroll to the bottom.
  • Click Material Search to enter the platform.
  • Note that Eureka offers several search types:
    • General Search
    • Structure Search
    • Composition
    • Profile
    • Substance
    • Synthesis
  • This walkthrough focuses on General Search, since it combines many of the search options used across the other tools.
• 2. Choose a Search Method [0:51]
  • General Search supports three main approaches:
    • Keyword search
    • Semantic search
    • Advanced search
  • Pick the method based on how much context and control you want over the search.
• 3. Run a Simple Keyword Search [1:00]
  • Type in one or more keywords, such as tear resistant or inflatable kayak.
  • Press Enter to run the search.
  • Tip: put quotation marks around multiple words if you want them to appear directly next to each other.
    • Example: "Tear Resistant"
  • This is the fastest way to search for exact terms in the patent database.
• 4. Run a Semantic Search for Broader Relevance [1:30]
  • Paste in a longer block of descriptive text instead of just a few keywords.
  • Press Enter and the system will recognize it as a semantic search.
  • The more context you provide, the better the results.
  • Semantic search scans the patent database and returns a few hundred of the most relevant patents based on meaning, not just exact wording.
• 5. Build an Advanced Search [2:09]
  • Open Advanced Search to combine multiple search dimensions.
  • Choose whether to search:
    • the global database, or
    • a specific workspace you’ve already saved.
  • Add keyword terms such as:
    • inflatable
    • kayak
  • Use an AND connector if both terms must appear in the same patent document.
  • Add a substance query, such as polyurethane, to capture patents containing that material.
  • Add an application domain, such as Vessel Construction, to keep results focused on the intended use case.
  • In the example shown, these filters narrow the set down to 116 patents and papers.
• 6. Review and Refine the Results [3:32]
  • Use the filters on the left side to better understand the dataset.
  • Check the application domain breakdown to see how many results match your true focus.
  • In the example, only 58 of the 116 results are actually related to recreational vehicles.
  • Apply additional filtering to narrow the results to the most relevant patents.
• 7. Create a Monitor for Ongoing Tracking [4:05]
  • On the right side, click Create Monitor.
  • Give the monitor a name, such as inflatable kayak.
  • This sets up ongoing tracking so you can monitor new activity in that search space on a weekly basis.
• 8. Save Results to a Workspace [4:22]
  • Click Batch Save to save selected results.
  • Create a new workspace using the button in the bottom-left corner.
  • Name the workspace, for example:
    • kayak workspace
    • my material search
  • Confirm the save.
  • The selected data will now be stored behind a hyperlink for easy team access and collaboration.