Patent Search

IPKit provides patent search across two systems: Australian patents via IP Australia and European/worldwide patents via the EPO Open Patent Services (OPS). The EPO collection alone contains over 130 million patent documents.

AU patent search

The au_patent_search tool searches Australian patents via IP Australia’s API.

Basic search

{
  "query": "solar panel cleaning robot",
  "searchMode": "QUICK_NO_ABSTRACT",
  "limit": 20
}

Response:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "AU-P-2023100456",
      "applicationNumber": "2023100456",
      "jurisdiction": "AU",
      "title": "Autonomous cleaning apparatus for photovoltaic panels",
      "status": "accepted",
      "filingDate": "2023-03-15",
      "pctNumber": "PCT/AU2023/050123",
      "applicants": [
        { "name": "SolarClean Pty Ltd" }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "hasMore": true,
    "cursor": "1",
    "totalResults": 42
  },
  "metadata": {
    "query": "solar panel cleaning robot",
    "searchMode": "QUICK_NO_ABSTRACT",
    "totalResults": 42,
    "executionTimeMs": 780
  }
}

Search modes

Mode	Speed	Scope
QUICK_NO_ABSTRACT (default)	Fastest	Title, applicant, number fields
QUICK_ABSTRACT	Fast	Adds abstract text matching
ADVANCED_NO_FULL_TEXT	Moderate	Enables field-specific matching
ADVANCED_FULL_TEXT	Slowest	Full-text including claims and description

Start with QUICK_NO_ABSTRACT for speed. If results are too narrow, switch to QUICK_ABSTRACT to include abstract matching.

What you can search

The AU patent search accepts:

• Keywords — matched against title (and abstract in ABSTRACT mode)
• Application numbers — direct lookup (e.g., “2023100456”)
• PCT numbers — international filing numbers (e.g., “PCT/AU2023/050123”)
• Inventor names — find patents by inventor
• Applicant names — find patents by applicant/owner

For multi-word queries, the tool applies post-filtering to ensure all significant words appear in the results. The API itself performs OR-matching, so “Johnson Johnson” without filtering would return every patent mentioning any single “Johnson”.

Pagination

AU patent search returns up to 50 results per page. Use the cursor for pagination:

{
  "query": "lithium battery",
  "searchMode": "QUICK_ABSTRACT",
  "limit": 50,
  "cursor": "1"
}

EP patent search

The ep_patent_search tool queries the EPO Open Patent Services, which covers 130+ million patent documents from the Espacenet collection worldwide.

CQL query syntax

EPO uses CQL (Common Query Language) for field-specific searching:

Field	Prefix	Example
Title	ti=	ti=robot
Abstract	ab=	ab=machine learning
Applicant	pa=	pa=samsung
Inventor	in=	in=smith
Publication number	pn=	pn=EP1234567
Application number	num=	num=EP20200123456
IPC classification	ic=	ic=A61B
CPC classification	cpc=	cpc=Y02E10/50

Combine fields with AND, OR, and NOT:

{
  "query": "ti=robot AND pa=samsung AND ic=B25J",
  "limit": 25
}

Simple keyword search

Without field prefixes, the query searches across title and abstract:

{
  "query": "autonomous vehicle lidar",
  "limit": 20
}

Response:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "EP-3456789",
      "applicationNumber": "EP20210123456",
      "jurisdiction": "EP",
      "title": "LIDAR-based obstacle detection system for autonomous vehicles",
      "status": "published",
      "applicants": [
        { "name": "Waymo LLC" }
      ],
      "inventors": [
        { "name": "Smith, John" }
      ],
      "ipcClassification": [
        { "code": "G01S17/93", "sequence": 1 },
        { "code": "B60W30/095", "sequence": 2 }
      ],
      "cpcClassification": [
        { "code": "G01S17/931", "sequence": 1 }
      ],
      "familyId": "78901234",
      "filingDate": "2021-06-15"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "totalResults": 1580,
    "offset": 0,
    "limit": 20,
    "hasMore": true
  },
  "metadata": {
    "query": "autonomous vehicle lidar",
    "totalResults": 1580,
    "executionTimeMs": 1200
  }
}

Pagination

EP patent search uses offset-based pagination (not cursors):

{
  "query": "ti=robot AND pa=samsung",
  "limit": 25,
  "offset": 25
}

The maximum offset + limit range is 100 results per query. For deeper result sets, refine your search terms.

Patent family search

The patent_family_search tool finds worldwide patent family members via INPADOC. Given a patent publication number from any jurisdiction, it returns all related filings worldwide.

This is a cross-jurisdiction capability: input a US patent number and discover related filings in EP, JP, CN, KR, and more.

{
  "publicationNumber": "EP1234567A1"
}

Response:

{
  "queryPatent": "EP1234567A1",
  "totalMembers": 8,
  "members": [
    {
      "jurisdiction": "EP",
      "publicationNumber": "EP1234567A1",
      "applicationNumber": "EP20010123456",
      "familyId": "26789012",
      "kindCode": "A1",
      "publicationDate": "2003-09-03"
    },
    {
      "jurisdiction": "US",
      "publicationNumber": "US7654321B2",
      "applicationNumber": "US10234567",
      "familyId": "26789012",
      "kindCode": "B2",
      "publicationDate": "2010-02-02"
    },
    {
      "jurisdiction": "JP",
      "publicationNumber": "JP2003256789A",
      "applicationNumber": "JP20020123456",
      "familyId": "26789012",
      "kindCode": "A"
    }
  ],
  "jurisdictions": ["CN", "EP", "JP", "KR", "US"]
}

Use EPODOC format for the publication number (e.g., “EP1234567A1”, “US7654321B2”). If you do not know the number, use ep_patent_search first to find it.

IPC and CPC classification

Patents use two classification systems:

IPC (International Patent Classification)

A hierarchical system maintained by WIPO. Structure: Section/Class/Subclass/Group/Subgroup.

Example: G06F 3/01

• G = Physics
• 06 = Computing
• F = Electrical digital data processing
• 3/01 = Input arrangements for user interaction

CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification)

A more granular extension of IPC maintained jointly by the EPO and USPTO. Same hierarchical structure but with additional subgroups.

Example: Y02E 10/50

• Y02 = Climate change mitigation technologies
• E = Energy
• 10/50 = Photovoltaic energy

Use ic= for IPC and cpc= for CPC in EP patent search queries.

Patent lifecycle

Australian patents follow this lifecycle:

1. Filed — application submitted (standard or provisional)
2. Published — application made publicly available (18 months from priority date)
3. Under examination — examiner reviewing patentability
4. Accepted — claims found patentable, open for opposition
5. Sealed (granted) — patent rights conferred
6. Expired — 20-year term ended (or 25 years for pharmaceutical extensions)

EP patents follow a similar path with examination at the EPO. After grant, they must be validated in individual countries.

Use au_patent_status or ep_patent_status to get the current lifecycle stage and detailed status history for any patent.

Prior art search strategy

When searching for prior art (existing patents relevant to an invention):

1. Start broad with keyword search to understand the landscape:

   { "query": "solar panel cleaning", "searchMode": "QUICK_ABSTRACT" }

2. Identify IPC/CPC classes from initial results, then search by classification:

   { "query": "ic=H02S40 AND ti=cleaning" }

3. Search by known competitors:

   { "query": "pa=sunpower", "limit": 50 }

4. Check patent families for any relevant hit to find worldwide filings:

   { "publicationNumber": "US10234567B2" }

5. Get full details for the most relevant patents using au_patent_status or ep_patent_status to review claims, priority dates, and related patents.

6. Cross-reference with designs using au_design_search if any patents relate to product appearance.

Related tools

• au_patent_status — full details for an AU patent
• ep_patent_status — full details for an EP patent
• patent_family_search — find worldwide family members
• au_design_search — cross-reference with design registrations