Patent questions, answered before you pay an attorney.

Is your idea worth filing? Will your product infringe? Need your patent in English or German? Start with what you have.

47M+ US & Chinese patentsYour data is never used for AI trainingNew users get 25 free creditsPrivacy Policy

Built by Jack Zhu, with patent litigation experience at Jones Day (US) and Rouse (UK) and twenty years in patent prosecution and litigation. About the founder →

Plates

Great inventions all began as patents

FIG. 1 — Edison's Electric LampUS 223,898 · 1880

FIG. 2 — Bell's TelephonyUS 174,465 · 1876

FIG. 3 — Tesla's Electro-Magnetic MotorUS 381,968 · 1888

FIG. 4 — The Wright Flying MachineUS 821,393 · 1906

FIG. 5 — Goddard's Rocket ApparatusUS 1,102,653 · 1914

FIG. 6 — Shockley's TransistorUS 2,569,347 · 1951

FIG. 7 — The First BarcodeUS 2,612,994 · 1952

FIG. 8 — The Laser (Optical Maser)US 2,929,922 · 1960

FIG. 9 — Robotic Surgery SystemUS 5,762,458 · 1998

FIG. 10 — Apple's Handheld DesignUS D618,677 · 2010

FIG. 11 — CRISPR-Cas9 Gene EditingUS 8,697,359 · 2014

FIG. 12 — DJI Aerial VehicleUS 9,284,049 · 2016

Drawings from published patent documents; color and motion are presentation renderings.

What each one does

Start with what you have

1 credit / run

First, see whether this can be written up as a patent

Describe your technology and get five filing directions in minutes: each with a proposed patent title, one line on what it protects, and whether it can be drafted as it stands, needs recasting, or cannot be filed. No prior-art search is run — this answers whether it can be filed, not whether it is new.

[1001]Five directions, each pointing at the span of your own material it came from
[1002]Three verdicts, each with an action: draft it, reword it, or protect it another way
[1003]Judged under Chinese, US or European rules — the three draw the line differently

Filing directionsSample

Overall verdictNeeds recasting

Closed-loop mold-temperature control method: Ready to draft
Training method for a line-defect detection model: Needs recasting
Snap-fit folding structure for a reusable crate: Ready to draft

No prior-art search was run — this answers whether it can be filed, not whether it is new.

FIG. 1 — Filing directions (illustrative)

1 credit / run

Stuck on a trade-off? Find the way through, by method

Describe the technical problem you are stuck on. The tool uses the TRIZ method to name the conflicting parameters, match inventive principles and suggest a few directions worth exploring.

[2001]Turns the problem into a contradiction: what you want to improve, and what gets worse
[2002]Gives R&D directions to test for real — not a patent application
[2003]1 credit per run; new accounts get 25 free credits

Contradiction foundReal output

“We make the links of an industrial robot arm. To make a link stiffer…”

Improving: Stiffness (Stability)Worsening: Weight (Mass of moving object)

31Porous Materials
40Composite Materials

R&D directions · to be verified by real testing

FIG. 2 — Real output from the tool (example problem)

From 5 credits

Where to take it next, with patent data as ammunition

Turn the direction you already have into an R&D roadmap: which directions are still open, what to validate next, and what counts as validated. This is a research roadmap, not a patent application.

[3001]Anything you have not actually done is left blank and marked "to be validated" — never invented for you
[3002]Each direction says why it is worth trying and where it is likely to stall
[3003]You can carry the search results from the previous step straight in

R&D roadmapSample

Direction 1: make the feedback interval vary with load instead of holding it fixed
Existing art all uses a fixed interval, so there may be room here.
Direction 2: replace multi-point sampling with one sensor plus a model
Saves two sensors, but how much accuracy is lostTo be validated

Validate next

Compare overshoot between the two feedback-interval strategies under a sudden load change.

FIG. 3 — R&D roadmap (illustrative)

50 credits

Turn the work you have done into a full first-draft application

With the direction settled and the measurements in hand, the material becomes a complete first draft — claims, description, drawing descriptions and abstract. A machine-check report ships with it, listing what still needs human verification, for your patent attorney to review before anything is filed.

[4001]Claims, description, drawing descriptions and abstract, all in one pass
[4002]Figures that cannot be derived from your input are left blank — no invented experimental data
[4003]Ships with a machine-check report listing must-verify and should-verify items

ClaimsSample

1. A temperature control device comprising a chamber, a temperature sampling unit disposed within said chamber, and a control unit coupled to said temperature sampling unit, characterised in that said control unit is configured to adjust the feedback interval of the heating power in dependence on the outputs of said temperature sampling unit at a plurality of successive sampling instants…

value to be supplied

Machine-check report

Lists must-verify and should-verify items for your attorney to review.

FIG. 4 — First-draft application (illustrative)

2 credits / run

Before you launch, see which patents to look at first

Describe your product and get the US and Chinese patents closest to it, the points where they overlap, and the questions to put to your attorney. Want more? Turn the scan into a self-serve full report.

[5001]Searched against 47M+ US and Chinese patents in our own database
[5002]Lists what to check and why — an AI screen, not a clearance opinion
[5003]2 credits per screen; new accounts get 25 free credits

Patents to look at firstReal output

“A smart water-bottle cap with a UV-C LED…”

US-10988389-B1Water sterilization cap with removable cartridge
US-11214499-B2Water sterilization cap with removable particulate filter and/or hydration meter
US-11225363-B2Water purification cap

AI screen of US & China patents · not legal advice

FIG. 5 — Real output from the screen (example product)

1 credit / page

Get your patent into English or German, in filing format

Upload the PDF or Word file. Paragraph numbers, figure references and formatting stay in place, terms stay consistent, and the claims follow EP, GB or US conventions.

[6001]Chinese ↔ English and Chinese ↔ German
[6002]See the page count and price before you sign in; nothing is charged until you confirm
[6003]Editable Word file plus PDF — have a patent attorney review it before filing

CN111767710B · claim 1 → EP EnglishReal output

1. 一种印尼语的情感分类方法，其特征在于，包括：获取待处理的印尼语句子，并确定所述待处理的印尼语句子对应的领域描述符；

↓ EP

1. A sentiment classification method for Indonesian, characterized by comprising: obtaining an Indonesian sentence to be processed, and determining a domain descriptor corresponding to the Indonesian sentence to be processed;

FIG. 6 — Real output: claim 1 of a granted Chinese patent

Before you pay for anything

Which one answers your question?

	Free patent search engines	Invention Village	A patent attorney
Can my idea be filed as a patent?	Finds published documents; the judgement is yours	Five filing directions, each marked ready to draft, needs recasting, or cannot be filed. No prior-art search.	Professional advice on your case, if you instruct one
Will my product infringe?	Finds patents; reading the claims is up to you	US and Chinese patents ranked by which to read first. 2 credits per screen.	A freedom-to-operate opinion, if you instruct one
Is my idea new?	Finds earlier documents to compare against	Not checked: the assessment runs no prior-art search	A professional search and opinion, if you instruct one
Is it legal advice?	No	No	Yes
Cost	Free	25 free credits on sign-up; 1 credit per assessment, 2 per FTO screen	Professional fees

Use it to get clear before you pay for an attorney's time, not instead of one.

Patent questions, answered before you pay an attorney.

Is your idea worth filing? Will your product infringe? Need your patent in English or German? Start with what you have.

47M+ US & Chinese patentsYour data is never used for AI trainingNew users get 25 free creditsPrivacy Policy

Built by Jack Zhu, with patent litigation experience at Jones Day (US) and Rouse (UK) and twenty years in patent prosecution and litigation. About the founder →

Plates

Great inventions all began as patents

Drawings from published patent documents; color and motion are presentation renderings.

What each one does

Start with what you have

1 credit / run

First, see whether this can be written up as a patent

[1001]Five directions, each pointing at the span of your own material it came from
[1002]Three verdicts, each with an action: draft it, reword it, or protect it another way
[1003]Judged under Chinese, US or European rules — the three draw the line differently

Filing directionsSample

Overall verdictNeeds recasting

Closed-loop mold-temperature control method: Ready to draft
Training method for a line-defect detection model: Needs recasting
Snap-fit folding structure for a reusable crate: Ready to draft

No prior-art search was run — this answers whether it can be filed, not whether it is new.

FIG. 1 — Filing directions (illustrative)

1 credit / run

Stuck on a trade-off? Find the way through, by method

Describe the technical problem you are stuck on. The tool uses the TRIZ method to name the conflicting parameters, match inventive principles and suggest a few directions worth exploring.

[2001]Turns the problem into a contradiction: what you want to improve, and what gets worse
[2002]Gives R&D directions to test for real — not a patent application
[2003]1 credit per run; new accounts get 25 free credits

Contradiction foundReal output

“We make the links of an industrial robot arm. To make a link stiffer…”

Improving: Stiffness (Stability)Worsening: Weight (Mass of moving object)

31Porous Materials
40Composite Materials

R&D directions · to be verified by real testing

FIG. 2 — Real output from the tool (example problem)

From 5 credits

Where to take it next, with patent data as ammunition

Turn the direction you already have into an R&D roadmap: which directions are still open, what to validate next, and what counts as validated. This is a research roadmap, not a patent application.

[3001]Anything you have not actually done is left blank and marked "to be validated" — never invented for you
[3002]Each direction says why it is worth trying and where it is likely to stall
[3003]You can carry the search results from the previous step straight in

R&D roadmapSample

Direction 1: make the feedback interval vary with load instead of holding it fixed
Existing art all uses a fixed interval, so there may be room here.
Direction 2: replace multi-point sampling with one sensor plus a model
Saves two sensors, but how much accuracy is lostTo be validated

Validate next

Compare overshoot between the two feedback-interval strategies under a sudden load change.

FIG. 3 — R&D roadmap (illustrative)

50 credits

Turn the work you have done into a full first-draft application

[4001]Claims, description, drawing descriptions and abstract, all in one pass
[4002]Figures that cannot be derived from your input are left blank — no invented experimental data
[4003]Ships with a machine-check report listing must-verify and should-verify items

ClaimsSample

value to be supplied

Machine-check report

Lists must-verify and should-verify items for your attorney to review.

FIG. 4 — First-draft application (illustrative)

2 credits / run

Before you launch, see which patents to look at first

[5001]Searched against 47M+ US and Chinese patents in our own database
[5002]Lists what to check and why — an AI screen, not a clearance opinion
[5003]2 credits per screen; new accounts get 25 free credits

Patents to look at firstReal output

“A smart water-bottle cap with a UV-C LED…”

US-10988389-B1Water sterilization cap with removable cartridge
US-11214499-B2Water sterilization cap with removable particulate filter and/or hydration meter
US-11225363-B2Water purification cap

AI screen of US & China patents · not legal advice

FIG. 5 — Real output from the screen (example product)

1 credit / page

Get your patent into English or German, in filing format

Upload the PDF or Word file. Paragraph numbers, figure references and formatting stay in place, terms stay consistent, and the claims follow EP, GB or US conventions.

[6001]Chinese ↔ English and Chinese ↔ German
[6002]See the page count and price before you sign in; nothing is charged until you confirm
[6003]Editable Word file plus PDF — have a patent attorney review it before filing

CN111767710B · claim 1 → EP EnglishReal output

1. 一种印尼语的情感分类方法，其特征在于，包括：获取待处理的印尼语句子，并确定所述待处理的印尼语句子对应的领域描述符；

↓ EP

FIG. 6 — Real output: claim 1 of a granted Chinese patent

Before you pay for anything

Which one answers your question?

	Free patent search engines	Invention Village	A patent attorney
Can my idea be filed as a patent?	Finds published documents; the judgement is yours	Five filing directions, each marked ready to draft, needs recasting, or cannot be filed. No prior-art search.	Professional advice on your case, if you instruct one
Will my product infringe?	Finds patents; reading the claims is up to you	US and Chinese patents ranked by which to read first. 2 credits per screen.	A freedom-to-operate opinion, if you instruct one
Is my idea new?	Finds earlier documents to compare against	Not checked: the assessment runs no prior-art search	A professional search and opinion, if you instruct one
Is it legal advice?	No	No	Yes
Cost	Free	25 free credits on sign-up; 1 credit per assessment, 2 per FTO screen	Professional fees

Use it to get clear before you pay for an attorney's time, not instead of one.