Any creative readers who believe they possibly just thought up the best idea ever can now search over 7 million US patents in the same way they search the web. Featuring scanned versions of the original patents, Google now lets users take a look and find if their idea already has a patent. This service can already be obtained via the US Patent and Trademark Office, however users may enjoy the more familiar face of Google. Admittedly this list of patents is not complete, so further research will be needed, but at least it will let you know if your idea definitely has been taken. Give it a try here