Technology Patent Radar & IP Analysis

Patent-based intelligence for technology freedom-to-operate assessment, competitor R&D tracking, and IP portfolio valuation.

Overview

tech-radar-ip is an MCP server that leverages the free USPTO PatentsView API to provide:

1. Freedom Check - Patent landscape analysis for technologies to assess freedom-to-operate risk
2. Competitor Intel - Track competitor R&D focus and patent trends over time
3. IP Valuation - Assess portfolio quality, breadth, and defensibility metrics

Data Source

• Primary: USPTO PatentsView API (https://api.patentsview.org/) - Note: API discontinued as of 2024
• Fallback: Mock patent data based on real USPTO patent structure
• Scope: 150+ years of US patent data (when live API available)
• Coverage: Patents, assignees, citations, CPC classifications
• Status: Currently using fallback mock data; live API integration pending

Installation

$npm install

Usage

As MCP Server

$npm start

Input format:

{
  "toolName": "freedom_check",
  "input": {
    "technology": "LLM-based code review with AST parsing",
    "industry": "developer tools"
  }
}

Tool 1: Freedom Check

Analyzes patent landscape for a technology to identify potential freedom-to-operate risks.

Input:

{
  "technology": "Distributed machine learning inference on edge devices",
  "industry": "AI/ML"
}

Output:

{
  "technology": "Distributed machine learning inference on edge devices",
  "industry": "AI/ML",
  "risk_level": "HIGH",
  "active_patents_found": 342,
  "blocking_patents": 18,
  "top_holders": [
    {
      "company": "Google",
      "count": 45,
      "avg_citations": 34
    },
    {
      "company": "Microsoft",
      "count": 38,
      "avg_citations": 28
    }
  ],
  "key_patents": [
    {
      "patent_number": "US10987654",
      "title": "Method and system for distributed inference optimization",
      "assignee": "Google",
      "grant_date": "2023-05-15",
      "cited_by": 89,
      "expiry_estimate": "2043-05-15",
      "relevance": "CRITICAL"
    }
  ],
  "expiring_within_5y": 3,
  "technology_density": "CROWDED",
  "summary": "HIGH freedom-to-operate risk. 18 potentially blocking patents identified..."
}

Risk Levels:

• MINIMAL - Few patents, low blocking risk
• LOW - Limited patent coverage
• MEDIUM - Moderate activity, licensing recommended
• HIGH - Significant blocking patents, counsel review needed
• CRITICAL - Heavy patent activity, substantial FTO risk

Tool 2: Competitor Intel

Analyzes competitor patent portfolio to identify R&D focus and trends.

Input:

{
  "company": "Tesla",
  "years": 3
}

Output:

{
  "company": "Tesla",
  "period": "2023-2026",
  "total_patents": 847,
  "yearly_trend": [
    { "year": 2025, "count": 298 },
    { "year": 2024, "count": 312 },
    { "year": 2023, "count": 237 }
  ],
  "trending_up": [
    {
      "area": "Battery Technology",
      "growth": "+45%",
      "recent_count": 145
    },
    {
      "area": "Autonomous Systems",
      "growth": "+23%",
      "recent_count": 87
    }
  ],
  "trending_down": [
    {
      "area": "Solar Energy",
      "growth": "-31%",
      "recent_count": 12
    }
  ],
  "top_patents": [
    {
      "patent_number": "US11567890",
      "title": "Solid state battery manufacturing method",
      "cited_by": 67,
      "grant_date": "2024-08-20"
    }
  ],
  "r_and_d_signal": "ACCELERATING",
  "summary": "Tesla's patent focus shifting from solar to battery tech..."
}

R&D Signals:

• ACCELERATING - >20% YoY growth
• GROWING - 5-20% growth
• STABLE - -5% to +5% change
• DECLINING - -5% to -20% decline
• SIGNIFICANT_DECLINE - <-20% decline

Tool 3: IP Valuation

Assesses IP portfolio quality and defensibility.

Input:

{
  "company": "Cruise Automation"
}

Output:

{
  "company": "Cruise Automation",
  "portfolio": {
    "total_patents": 312,
    "active_patents": 287,
    "avg_citations": 8.7,
    "median_citations": 4,
    "max_citations": 156
  },
  "technology_breadth": "NARROW",
  "primary_tech_areas": [
    {
      "area": "Autonomous Systems",
      "count": 124
    },
    {
      "area": "Computer Vision",
      "count": 89
    }
  ],
  "defensibility": "STRONG",
  "key_assets": [
    {
      "patent_number": "US10987654",
      "title": "Autonomous intersection navigation system",
      "cited_by": 156,
      "grant_date": "2023-03-10",
      "importance": "CRITICAL"
    }
  ],
  "portfolio_metrics": {
    "h_index": 23,
    "technology_coverage": 0.34,
    "citation_impact": 1.74
  },
  "summary": "Narrow but defensible portfolio..."
}

Breadth Levels:

• NARROW - Specialized, focused technology
• MODERATE - Balanced portfolio
• BROAD - Diversified across many technologies

Defensibility Ratings:

• VERY_WEAK - Limited assets, easy to design around
• WEAK - Minimal protection
• MEDIUM - Moderate defensibility
• STRONG - Well-defended portfolio
• VERY_STRONG - Comprehensive protection

Metrics Explained

Citation Count

Number of times a patent is cited by other patents. Indicates influence and importance.

• 0-5: Standard patents
• 5-20: Influential patents
• 20+: Highly influential
• 50+: Landmark patents

H-Index

Academic metric: number of patents with at least H citations.

• <10: Limited influence
• 10-20: Moderate influence
• 20-50: Strong influence
• 50+: Exceptional influence

Technology Coverage (0-1)

Ratio of unique technology areas (CPC codes) to 1000 theoretical maximum.

Citation Impact (vs industry avg)

Normalized citation rate. Industry average ≈ 5 citations/patent.

• <1.0: Below average impact
• 1.0-2.0: Above average
• 2.0+: Highly influential

API Rate Limits

• Current Status: Using fallback mock data (unlimited)
• When Live API Available: ~100 requests/minute for USPTO PatentsView
• Authentication: No API key required for public USPTO data
• Timeout: 30 seconds per request
• Fallback Behavior: Automatic fallback to mock data if API unavailable

Technology Areas Covered

Patent analysis supports these technology classifications:

• AI & Machine Learning (G06F, G06N)
• Autonomous Systems (G05D)
• Robotics (B25J)
• Computer Vision (G06V)
• Battery & Energy (H01M, H02S)
• Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals (C07K, A61K)
• Semiconductors (H01L)
• Communications (H04L, H04W)
• Cryptography & Security (H04L9)
• Cloud Computing (G06F9)
• IoT (H04M)
• Materials Science (C01B, C08F)
• Mechanical Engineering (F01B)

Cost

• Pricing: $0.10 per tool call
• API Calls: When live USPTO API is available, varies by search result size
• No Subscription: Pay-per-use model
• Demo/Testing: Current mock data response is instant (< 2 seconds)

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

Error	Cause	Solution
"USPTO API timeout"	Network latency	Retry with shorter tech keyword
"No patents found"	Company/tech not in DB	Verify exact company name or use simpler keywords
"Patent date parsing"	Invalid patent format	Rare - report to maintainer

Legal Notes

• All data is from public USPTO records
• No confidential/trade secret information accessed
• Results are informational - not legal advice
• Consult patent counsel for FTO analysis
• Mock data usage: Tool demonstrates patent analysis capabilities; live API integration in progress
• PatentsView API deprecation: Tool automatically falls back to mock data when USPTO API unavailable

Development

# Test locally
npm start

# With sample input
echo '{"toolName":"freedom_check","input":{"technology":"blockchain smart contracts"}}' | npm start

Version

1.0.0 - Initial release with 3 core tools

References

• USPTO PatentsView API
• CPC Classification System
• US Patent Basics

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Disclaimer

GENERAL DISCLAIMER: This is an AI-powered tool. Output may contain errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Do not rely on output for legal, medical, or financial decisions without independent professional review. We provide no warranty, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the generated output.