Free Tools
Patent Tools
31 free tools to research, calculate, and understand patents — from first idea to issued patent. No account required.
Before you file
Which IP Do I Need?
Patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret? Answer 5 questions for a ranked, layered IP strategy — plus any filing deadlines you're up against.
Find my strategy →Is My Idea Patentable?
Rate your invention against all four requirements — eligibility (§101), novelty (§102), non-obviousness (§103), and enablement (§112) — and see which one most threatens it.
Assess it →Patent Eligibility Check (§101)
Is your invention even eligible? Walk the two-step Alice/Mayo test — judicial exception, practical application, inventive concept — for a reasoned §101 verdict backed by real precedent.
Test eligibility →Prior Art Search Starter
Describe your invention and get keyword clusters, likely CPC classes, Boolean queries, and direct Google Patents and Espacenet search links — the cheapest pre-filing check.
Build my search →Patent ROI Calculator
Should you actually file? Weigh the cost against the profit a patent would defend — discounted by copy risk and grant odds — for a verdict and a break-even.
Run the numbers →Patent Cost Calculator
The full 20-year cost of a US utility patent — USPTO filing, exam, issue, and maintenance fees by entity size, plus attorney fees.
Estimate cost →USPTO Entity Status
Micro, small, or large entity? It's the biggest lever on patent fees — small saves 60%, micro saves 80%. Find your status and your lifetime savings.
Check my status →Inventorship Determiner
Name the wrong inventors and you can invalidate the patent. Apply the conception test in two questions to see whether a funder, builder, or contributor belongs on it.
Check inventorship →Freedom-to-Operate Risk Snapshot
Before you ship, get a 60-second freedom-to-operate risk snapshot — an overall risk score, the CPC classes to search, a concrete search strategy, the recommended depth (skip / self-directed / attorney-preliminary / full FTO), and a cost estimate. The starting point before commissioning a $30k FTO opinion.
Snapshot my risk →Drafting
Patent Claim Builder
Assemble a well-formed independent claim — preamble, transition, and elements — and watch it lint live for §112 issues as you type.
Build a claim →Patent Claim Checker
Lint a draft claim for the §112 issues examiners reject on — antecedent basis, indefinite terms, means-plus-function, and the single-sentence rule.
Check a claim →Claim Support Checker (§112)
Paste a claim and your specification — it flags any claim term that isn't described in the spec, catching the written-description gaps that draw §112 rejections.
Check support →Provisional Patent Generator
Draft a provisional patent application section by section. Get a structured, paragraph-numbered draft with a live readiness score, then copy or download it.
Draft mine →Invention Disclosure Builder
Capture your invention before seeing an attorney — inventors, conception date, how it works, what's new — with a live one-year public-disclosure clock that warns before you lose your rights.
Document mine →Patent Claim Explainer
Paste any patent claim and get an instant plain-English breakdown — what it covers, what it doesn't, and the key legal terms defined.
Explain a claim →Prosecution
Office Action Deadline Calculator
Got an Office Action? Enter the mail date for every response deadline — the 3-month base, extensions, the hard 6-month bar — and the extension fees by entity.
Map my deadlines →Patent Filing Deadline Calculator
Enter one filing or priority date and see every downstream deadline — the 12-month Paris/PCT priority year, 18-month publication, 30-month national-phase entry, and the 20-year term.
Map my deadlines →Claim Dependency Mapper
Paste a full claim set to chart its dependency tree, count independent vs dependent claims, flag structural errors, and tally the USPTO excess-claim fees.
Map the set →Claim Chart / FTO Tool
Break a patent claim into elements, mark what your product has, and apply the all-elements rule to see whether you're in the clear.
Chart a claim →Patent Claim Diff
Paste two versions of a patent claim and see a word-level redline. For tracking prosecution amendments, IPR prep, and continuation drafting.
Diff a claim →Cease & Desist Response Triage
Just got a patent cease-and-desist, pre-suit, or demand letter? Triage it in under a minute — severity score (1-5), recommended posture (monitor / respond / negotiate / defend / seek-DJ), defenses to investigate, and a prioritized next-step checklist with cost ranges.
Triage the letter →PCT International Filing Planner
Where should you file internationally? Get a recommended route (US-only, Paris-direct, or PCT), priority countries ranked by revenue and competitor activity, itemized cost projection, and a 30-month national-phase entry timeline. Built for the founder who has traction and is wondering 'do I need foreign coverage?'.
Plan my filings →Patent Claim Infringement Check
Describe your product and instantly see which active patents may be relevant. Element-by-element claim analysis powered by AI — with design-around suggestions for flagged patents.
Check for infringement →Prior Art Finder
Describe your invention in plain English and find semantically similar patents in our database. Powered by pgvector embeddings — matches meaning, not just keywords. Free, 5 searches per hour.
Search for prior art →Analysis & reference
Patent Value Estimator
Heuristic patent valuation. Six signals — citations, claims, expiry, prior-art depth, litigation, and industry — combined into an evidence-based estimate.
Estimate value →Patent Strength Scorecard
Grade a patent A+ to F across five axes — influence, breadth, foundation, longevity, and commercial signal. Distinct from a dollar value.
Grade a patent →Patent Expiry Calculator
Enter a filing date for the exact expiry date, maintenance-fee schedule, and status — handling the pre-1995 GATT term rules and design/plant terms.
Calculate →Patent Term Adjustment Calculator
When the USPTO is slow, a patent's term is extended day-for-day. Enter the filing and issue dates to estimate the §154(b) B-delay (pendency past 3 years) and the adjusted expiry.
Estimate PTA →Patent Number Decoder
Paste any patent number to decode its country, type (utility / design / plant / reissue), kind code (A1, B2…), and approximate grant year.
Decode a number →Patent Citation Generator
Enter a patent number and get a correct citation in Bluebook, APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, or BibTeX. For researchers, students, and attorneys.
Cite a patent →Maintenance Fee Schedule
Enter a granted US utility patent's grant date to map every maintenance-fee deadline — the payment window, the surcharge grace period, and the date the patent lapses if unpaid.
Map the deadlines →