2. Aim of the search 

The search is aimed at identifying the state of the art relevant for determining whether, and if so to what extent, the claimed invention is new and involves an inventive step.

It is not usually aimed at finding disclosures of potential interest to the applicant, but documents not directly relevant for assessing the patentability of the claimed invention may be cited in the search report in certain circumstances (see B‑X, 9.2.2 and B-X, 9.2.5).

Both the content of the search opinion and the later substantive examination depend on the outcome of the search as it establishes what state of the art is to be taken as the basis for assessing the patentability of the invention. The search must therefore be as complete and effective as possible, within the limitations necessarily imposed by unity of invention and other factors (see B‑III, 2, B‑VII and B‑VIII).