They have an excellent reputation; I'm sure that if they say a search for prior patents was made, they did in fact make it.

The entire prior patent constitutes prior art.

The prior patent must provide enough information to allow the subsequently claimed invention to be performed without undue burden.

The section does not restrict disclosure to prior patents.

The test for disclosure is whether a person skilled in the art, reading the prior patent, would understand that it discloses the special advantages of the second invention.

Enablement is to be assessed having regard to the prior patent as a whole including the specification and the claims.

The skilled person may use his or her common general knowledge to supplement information contained in the prior patent.

Daguerre's process was somewhat limited by his prior patent in the UK, and so only those professionals who could afford a license were able to do so.

This patent asserted a prior patent existed in England dated 1886.

Motorola said a prior patent invalidated Hitachi's patent.