Patent Signals

Raw patent search is a commodity — every free tool does it. This Actor sells the answers: for any technology area, applicant, or keyword, one run returns a structured intelligence report built from official USPTO Open Data Portal records.

The four signals

1. Filing velocity — filings per quarter, with a momentum read (last 4 complete quarters vs the prior 4): accelerating, steady, or cooling.
2. New entrants — applicants whose first-ever filing in this space landed in the last 12 months, ranked by how hard they're filing. This is the "who just showed up" list.
3. Concentration — top applicants by share plus a normalized HHI: is this a locked-up incumbent space or an open field?
4. Expiry calendar — granted patents whose ~20-year term ends within 5 years, sorted by date. Freedom-to-operate planning starts here.

Input

Field	Description
apiKey	Required. Free USPTO Open Data Portal key — data.uspto.gov → sign in → My API keys
query	CPC code (G06N = machine learning, A61K = pharma prep…), keyword, or applicant name
queryType	cpc, keyword, or applicant
yearsBack	Analysis window (default 4)
maxRecords	Fetch cap (default 2,000)

Output

One report record per run:

{
  "query": "G06N",
  "records_analysed": 2000,
  "velocity": { "trend": "accelerating", "momentum_pct": 34.2, "series": [ ... ] },
  "new_entrants_12mo": [ { "applicant": "Beta AI Inc", "filings": 12, "first_filing": "2026-02-11" } ],
  "concentration": { "hhi": 0.19, "reading": "concentrated — incumbents dominate", "top_applicants": [ ... ] },
  "expiry_calendar_5y": [ { "applicant": "…", "approx_expiry": "2030-03-10" } ],
  "caveats": [ ... ]
}

Who this is for

• Competitive intelligence & strategy — quarterly technology-space scans
• VC / PE diligence — is the target filing? Is the space defensible? Who else is moving in?
• IP consultants & tech-transfer offices — client-ready signals without a patent-analytics subscription
• R&D leadership — watch your own field's momentum

Honest caveats (also embedded in every report)

• Expiry dates approximate 20-years-from-filing; patent term adjustments (PTA/PTE) and maintenance-fee lapses are not applied.
• Applicant names appear as filed — one company can appear under name variants.
• Patent records are US federal public-domain data; inventor/applicant names are part of the public record.

Pricing

Event	Price
Run start	$0.05
Per signal report	$1.50

One report: $1.55 — versus $99+/month patent-analytics platforms or an afternoon of manual searching.

FAQ

Do I need my own USPTO API key? Yes, for live analysis — a free key from data.uspto.gov (requires a USPTO.gov account). Without a key, the Actor returns a clearly-labeled demo report so you can see the output shape first.

Why does it return a report instead of raw patent records? Raw patent search is free everywhere. This Actor sells the aggregation: filing velocity with momentum, first-time entrants, market concentration (HHI), and an expiry calendar — the analysis layer you'd otherwise build in a spreadsheet.

How accurate are the expiry dates? They approximate 20-years-from-filing. Patent term adjustments (PTA/PTE) and maintenance-fee lapses are not applied — every report embeds this caveat. Use the calendar for planning, verify individual patents before acting.

What's a CPC code and where do I find mine? The Cooperative Patent Classification system — e.g. G06N is machine learning, A61K is pharma preparations. Search "CPC scheme" + your technology to find your class.

Can I analyze a competitor instead of a technology? Yes — set queryType to applicant and pass the company name.

Changelog

• 2026-08-22 — Live USPTO Open Data Portal verification; applicant names now resolved from applicantBag when the primary field is empty; no-key demo mode.
• 2026-08-20 — Launch: velocity, entrants, concentration, and expiry-calendar reports.

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Support: open an issue on this Actor's Issues tab — layout/format reports are usually fixed within days. Describe the shape of your file or query; never post real bank statements or sensitive data.