# Prior-art search by keyword, CPC class and office

**Use case:** 

Search the EPO's worldwide collection by keyword, CPC class, office and date range. Returns one row per publication with its family and legal status, so you can narrow a prior-art question without a subscription to a patent database.

## Input

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "queries": [
    "lidar point cloud vehicle"
  ],
  "max_results": 100,
  "offset": 0,
  "countries": [
    "EP",
    "US",
    "WO"
  ],
  "granted_only": false,
  "one_per_family": true,
  "published_from": "2022",
  "cpc": "G01S17",
  "include": [
    "family",
    "legal",
    "citations"
  ],
  "refresh": false
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "query": {
    "label": "Query",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "mode": {
    "label": "Mode",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "type": {
    "label": "Item",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "publication_number": {
    "label": "Publication",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "title": {
    "label": "Title",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "applicant": {
    "label": "Applicant",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "applicant_match": {
    "label": "Applicant is",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "inventors": {
    "label": "Inventors",
    "format": "array"
  },
  "filing_date": {
    "label": "Filed",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "publication_date": {
    "label": "Published",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "is_granted": {
    "label": "Granted",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "country_code": {
    "label": "Office",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "family_id": {
    "label": "Family",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "source": {
    "label": "Source",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "as_of": {
    "label": "As of",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "google_patents_url": {
    "label": "Google Patents",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "total_available": {
    "label": "Total available",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "has_more": {
    "label": "More available",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "charged": {
    "label": "Charged",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "message": {
    "label": "Message",
    "format": "string"
  }
}
```

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [EPO Patent Search: Company Portfolios, Inventors, Prior Art](https://apify.com/pvalyou/patent-lookup.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/pvalyou/patent-lookup.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
This Task's input is already configured above — use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
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For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/pvalyou/patent-lookup.md

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).