Patent Search Costs and Turnaround
Costs for patent searches vary with type of search, subject matter and scope as well as the urgency. In addition, when I am not busy and am looking for work, the costs go down. Conversely, when I am very busy, costs can go up - fast! If the deadline is relaxed, costs also decrease.
Patentability searches vary roughly from $200 or less (most mechanical) to $600+ (e.g., hybrid chemical-mechanical or chemical-electrical and software).
Validity searches begin roughly at $500 and depend on the scope of the challenged patent claim(s).
Infringement searches begin roughly at $500 and depend on the number and scope of the patented claims.
Right-to-use searches are similar in cost and scope to infringement searches, but include additional search scope for public domain patents.
Turnaround for most searches vary from a few days for expedited patentability search requests to about 2-4 weeks for infringement searches.
As seen by the approximate costs given above, the cost estimates are depend on the client's needs, i.e., the search scope and time requirement(s).