USPTO Patent

You can access USPTO patent data from multiple APIs through a single MCP server. It aggregates search, prosecution history, PTAB proceedings, citations, and litigation data so you can analyze patents, track activity, and perform comprehensive research with Claude Desktop or other MCP clients.

How to use

Start the MCP server through your MCP client or Claude Desktop integration. Once running, you can invoke any supported tool to search patents, retrieve full documents, download PDFs, examine prosecution history, explore PTAB proceedings, fetch office actions, and analyze litigation and citations. Use the available tools to build complex workflows like prior art searches, portfolio analyses, technology landscape mappings, and FTO checks. Ensure you have the required API keys for USPTO data sources when using corresponding tools.

How to install

Prerequisites: install Python 3.10-3.13 (3.12 recommended) and the UV runtime for Python version management.

Install the UV runtime (if you do not already have it) using the following command:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Additional configuration and usage notes

Environment and API keys are required for several data sources. Create a .env file in your patent_mcp_server directory and populate any keys you have for USPTO APIs. The PPUBS data can work without an API key, but many sources require one.

Example .env variables you may need to configure include:

USPTO_API_KEY=your_actual_key_here
PATENTSVIEW_API_KEY=your_patentsview_key

Claude Desktop integration

To connect Claude Desktop to the MCP server, configure Claude Desktop to run the MCP server as a stdio process. This ensures Claude can start and stop the server on demand.

Insert this configuration into Claude Desktop so that it can start the server when needed.

Testing and validation

After starting the MCP server, run the CLI or your MCP client’s test commands to confirm connectivity to USPTO data sources. Validate that the supported tools return expected results and that API keys are accepted for protected sources.

Notes on available data sources

This server exposes six USPTO data sources, including Patent Public Search, Open Data Portal, PTAB, PatentsView, Office Action APIs, and Patent Litigation APIs. The server supports over 50 tools that surface data such as patent text, prosecution history, PTAB decisions, citations, and litigation records.

Available tools

ppubs_search_patents

Search granted patents by full-text or metadata with daily updates from Patent Public Search and PatentsView.

ppubs_search_applications

Search published patent applications using the Patent Public Search API.

ppubs_get_full_document

Fetch the complete text of a patent by its GUID, including claims, description, and specification.

ppubs_get_patent_by_number

Retrieve a patent’s full text using its patent number.

ppubs_download_patent_pdf

Download a patent as a PDF document for offline reading.

odp_get_application

Get basic data for patent applications from the Open Data Portal.

odp_search_applications

Filter and search patent applications with various criteria.

odp_get_application_metadata

Retrieve comprehensive metadata for applications.

odp_get_continuity

Access patent family and continuity information.

odp_get_assignment

Query ownership and assignment records.

odp_get_adjustment

Get patent term adjustment details.

odp_get_attorney

Obtain attorney or agent of record information.

odp_get_foreign_priority

Fetch foreign priority claims.

odp_get_transactions

Get prosecution transaction history.

odp_get_documents

Retrieve file wrapper documents.

odp_search_datasets

Search bulk data products from USPTO Open Data Portal.

odp_get_dataset

Get details about dataset products.

get_status_code

Look up the meaning of status codes.

ptab_search_proceedings

Search IPR, PGR, CBM proceedings in PTAB.

ptab_get_proceeding

Get detailed information about a PTAB proceeding.

ptab_get_documents

Fetch documents filed within a PTAB proceeding.

ptab_search_decisions

Search PTAB trial decisions.

ptab_get_decision

Get detailed PTAB decision information.

ptab_search_appeals

Search ex parte PTAB appeals.

ptab_get_appeal

Get appeal decision details from PTAB.

ptab_search_interferences

Search historical PTAB interferences.

patentsview_search_patents

Full-text patent search with disambiguation for inventors and assignees.

patentsview_get_patent

Get detailed patent information.

patentsview_search_assignees

Search disambiguated assignees.

patentsview_get_assignee

Get details about a specific assignee.

patentsview_search_inventors

Search disambiguated inventors.

patentsview_get_inventor

Get inventor details.

patentsview_get_claims

Retrieve patent claims text.

patentsview_get_description

Retrieve patent description text.

patentsview_search_by_cpc

Search patents by CPC classification.

patentsview_lookup_cpc

Look up CPC code information.

get_office_action_text

Get full-text office actions.

search_office_actions

Search office actions by various criteria.

get_office_action_citations

Get citations found in office actions.

get_office_action_rejections

Get rejection data from office actions.

get_enriched_citations

Obtain forward and backward citation data for patents.

search_citations

Search citation records and relationships.

get_citation_metrics

Retrieve metrics on patent citations.

search_litigation

Search 74,000+ patent district court cases.

get_litigation_case

Get detailed information about a specific litigation case.

get_patent_litigation

Retrieve litigation data associated with a patent.

get_party_litigation

Get litigation history for parties involved.