Patent — Prior-Art + Landscape Intelligence

Portability: Requires

web_fetch

(Google Patents, Espacenet, USPTO),

WebSearch

(adjacent academic art), Node.js with

docx

package, and optionally Lens.org API key for citation-graph signals. Works in Claude Code CLI natively. In Claude.ai with web tools + Code Execution + BYOK Lens.org, the workflow is supported.

Out of scope: trademark, copyright, trade-secret. These are flagged at intake. Use a different skill or qualified counsel.

Legal disclaimer: This skill produces search signal, not legal advice. Verdicts are technical assessments. Always consult a patent attorney before filing or licensing decisions.

Non-Generic Framing — The Differentiator

references/sub_use_case_routing.md

Agent Integrity Rules (Research-Pack Convention)

• Execution discipline. Sequential search calls only. 1 query/sec rate limit. Confirm response received before next call.
• Source discipline. Cite only patents returned by THIS session's tool calls. Training knowledge labeled

  [Not from search — reference information]

  and excluded from counts.
• Three-count tracking. Queries sent / patents received (shown) / patents cited. Surfaced in audit log.
• Retry policy. On failure → wait 3s → retry once → log. After 3 consecutive failures across tools: stop, alert user, explain what's missing.
• Plan-tier detection. Lens.org free tier = 1000 queries/month. Google Patents has no auth but rate-limits per IP. Detect and surface caps.

Phase 1: Grill-Me Intake (6 forcing questions, one at a time)

Q1 (root) — Invention description

Describe the invention in 2–3 sentences. What does it do, and what's new about it?

Why I'm asking: Concept and keyword extraction depends entirely on a precise description. Vague descriptions ("AI for healthcare", "a better widget") will be rejected — push back and ask the user to specify what the invention does and what differentiates it from existing approaches.

Q2 (depends on Q1) — Sub-use-case commitment

What's the purpose of this search? Pick one:

1. Novelty search (am I novel enough to file)
2. Freedom-to-operate (will I get sued if I ship)
3. Competitive landscape (who else plays here)
4. Acquisition diligence (does target really own X)
5. Litigation prior-art hunting (kill a specific patent)

Why I'm asking: Each path uses a fundamentally different search strategy. I'll refuse to start without you picking one.

Q3 (asked only if Q2 ∈ {FTO, landscape, diligence}) — Jurisdictions

Which jurisdictions matter? Pick all that apply: US / EP / CN / JP / KR / PCT / worldwide.

Why I'm asking: FTO only matters where you'll sell. Landscape changes radically by region. Diligence requires checking all jurisdictions where the target operates.

Q4 (depends on Q1) — Known prior art

Have you already seen prior art close to this? Cite a patent number or paper.

Why I'm asking: If you know one piece of art, I can search adjacent to it — much more precise than starting cold. If you don't, that's fine — just confirm.

Q5 (depends on Q2) — Risk tolerance

Risk tolerance for this search: strict (one close hit means abandon the path) or signal-gathering (you want the lay of the land regardless)?

Why I'm asking: Strict mode ranks aggressively and surfaces verdict-grade hits; signal mode prioritizes breadth and visualizations.

Q6 (asked only if Q2 ∈ {novelty, FTO}) — Attorney status

Have you spoken to a patent attorney? This skill produces search signal, not legal advice. Confirm you understand this is for technical assessment only.

Why I'm asking: Novelty and FTO have legal consequences. The skill's verdict is signal-grade; legal positions require qualified counsel.

Phase 2: Search Strategy Selection

scripts/sub_use_case_router.py

python ../scripts/sub_use_case_router.py \
  --sub-use-case novelty \
  --jurisdictions "" \
  --risk strict \
  --known-art "US10000000B2"

Phase 3: Multi-Source Search (Sequential)

Source priority

1. Google Patents (https://patents.google.com) — workhorse, no auth required, broad coverage
2. Espacenet (https://worldwide.espacenet.com) — global coverage, good for non-US art
3. USPTO PPS (https://ppubs.uspto.gov) — US deep dive
4. Lens.org (https://www.lens.org) — citation graph, BYOK API key required

Per-sub-use-case query patterns

• 3 narrow queries on invention-specific terminology (Google Patents)
• 2 broad concept queries with synonyms (Google Patents + Espacenet)
• 1 CPC-class-restricted query if class identified from initial hits

• Jurisdiction-filtered: only active patents (not expired, not abandoned)
• Date filter: priority < today
• Active-claim text extraction for each hit

• Broader queries on the technology space
• CPC class identification → tally top filers in that class
• 10-year filing trend by year per top-5 filer

• Specific assignee searches (target company + subsidiaries + named inventors)
• Assignment chain check (USPTO assignment recordation)
• Family resolution for deduplication

• Target patent input required (number)
• Priority date extraction
• Search for art before priority date in same CPC classes
• Adjacent-claim-language search

Sequential discipline

scripts/citation_tracker.py

Phase 4: Claim Extraction + Relevance Scoring

• Pull independent claim 1 (the broadest claim — primary anticipation/obviousness vehicle)
• Pull key dependent claims (claims that add the inventive step)
• Score relevance against invention description (overlap of claim language with Q1 terminology)

Phase 5: Citation Graph + Family Resolution

Citation graph (Lens.org BYOK)

• Foundational-patent identification (cited-by count > threshold, typically 50+)
• Recent high-cite signals (citations in last 24 months as proxy for current activity)
• Forward citations from target patent (litigation prior-art) or from closest art (novelty)

Family resolution

scripts/family_resolver.py

python ../scripts/family_resolver.py --hits-file hits.json
# Returns: deduplicated family list + family-member jurisdictions

CPC/IPC Classification Awareness

references/cpc_classification_canon.md

Phase 6: DOCX Generation (8 Sections)

docx

1. Executive Summary + Verdict — Sub-use-case banner + one-line verdict (NOVEL / FLAGGED / etc.) + 3-4 key findings + legal disclaimer footer
2. Closest Prior Art — 5-10 patents in ranked order. Per hit: hyperlinked title + assignee + filing/priority dates + independent claim 1 text (italicized) + relevance score + relevance rationale (1-2 sentences)
3. Patent Landscape — Top filers table (top 10 by count) + 10-year filing trend description + CPC class distribution table. Only for landscape and diligence; abbreviated otherwise.
4. Citation Graph Signals — Foundational patents (if Lens-enabled) + recent high-cite activity. If Lens unavailable, note "manual review recommended" and skip table.
5. Geographic Coverage — Filings by jurisdiction for top 10 hits. Only for FTO, landscape, diligence; skipped for novelty and litigation.
6. FTO Flags (FTO only) — Active patents posing infringement risk. Per flag: hyperlinked patent + jurisdiction + relevant claims + risk level (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW) + mitigation note.
7. Strategy + Recommendations — Sub-use-case-specific:
   • Novelty → claim differentiation suggestions
   • FTO → design-around hints + jurisdiction strategy
   • Landscape → who-to-watch list
   • Diligence → red flags in portfolio
   • Litigation → ranked knock-out candidates
   • Mandatory disclaimer to consult patent attorney for any filing/licensing decision.
8. Audit Log — Searches table (#, query, source, results, status), counts (sent/shown/cited), tool constraints (plan-tier notes), failed steps, attorney-consultation reminder

Styling

ExternalHyperlink

• Google Patents:

  https://patents.google.com/patent/[number]

• Espacenet:

  https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/...

• USPTO:

  https://patents.uspto.gov/patent/...

Date Discipline

• Filing date — when the application was first submitted
• Priority date — earliest claim of priority (often earlier than filing)
• Publication date — when the application became public (typically 18 months after priority)
• Grant date — when the patent was granted (later than publication)

• Novelty → priority date (vs invention's anticipated filing date)
• FTO → grant date + status (active vs expired)
• Landscape → publication date (when public knowledge began)
• Diligence → grant date + assignment date
• Litigation → priority date of target patent (sets the prior-art cutoff)

Phase 7: Deliver

• Save:

  <output-dir>/patent_<invention-slug>_<sub-use-case>_<YYYY-MM-DD>.docx

• Chat summary: file path + sub-use-case + verdict + audit counts + plan-tier
• Validate:

  python scripts/office/validate.py <docx>

• Reminder: "Consult patent attorney before filing/licensing"

Tooling

scripts/citation_tracker.py

~/.patent_sessions/<session>.json

scripts/family_resolver.py

scripts/sub_use_case_router.py

References

• references/sub_use_case_routing.md

  — 5-sub-use-case canon (7+ sources)

• references/cpc_classification_canon.md

  — CPC/IPC class follow-up rationale (7+ sources)

• references/legal_disclaimer_discipline.md

  — when + why disclaimer mandatory (7+ sources)

Error Handling

Anti-Patterns To Reject

• Starting any search before user commits to a sub-use-case (refuses generic "patent help")
• Batching all intake questions instead of one at a time
• Accepting vague invention descriptions ("AI for healthcare")
• Keyword-only search without CPC/IPC class follow-up
• Treating family members as separate hits (must be deduplicated)
• Confusing filing date with priority date with publication date
• Skipping the legal disclaimer when sub-use-case has legal consequences
• Reporting a verdict without claim-text evidence
• Fabricating Lens.org citation data when key is absent
• Suggesting design-arounds without acknowledging attorney review is required
• Skipping the audit log

megaprompts/11-patent-megaprompt.md