Query: What is a prior-art and what kinds of prior art are searched?
Context: During the search, any document which is in the public domain, be it a granted patent, a patent application or a non-patent reference existing on or before the present day when the patentability analysis is conducted that covers the major aspects of the invention according to the client/applicant/inventor requirements is considered as a prior art, also known as background art. The non-patent references include research papers, thesis, standards, white papers, e-mails, conversations, newsletters, products, articles, videos, blogposts, any internet publications, etc.