USPTO Patent Monitor API | JSON + Webhook

Monitor U.S. patent activity with a reliable fallback chain and machine-readable output.

Store Quickstart

• Start with store-input.example.json. It uses demoMode=true so the first Store run is safe and small.
• If the output fits, switch to store-input.templates.json and pick one of:
• Demo Quickstart for a trial run
• Production Search for richer dataset collection
• Webhook Alert for automation pipelines

Output First: What You Get

Each run returns structured rows that can be piped to alerts, CRM, or analytics.

{
  "patentNumber": "US11234567B2",
  "title": "System and method for machine learning optimization",
  "abstract": "A system for optimizing neural network training...",
  "date": "2025-06-15",
  "assignees": ["Google LLC"],
  "inventors": ["John Smith", "Jane Doe"],
  "cpcCodes": ["G06N3/08", "G06F18/24"],
  "claimCount": 15,
  "source": "google_patents",
  "status": "ok",
  "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11234567B2"
}

A fuller ready-to-share payload is available in sample-output.example.json for Store and README proof.

Input Examples

Demo run (safe trial):

{
  "query": "artificial intelligence",
  "maxResults": 10,
  "demoMode": true
}

Production run:

{
  "query": "artificial intelligence machine learning",
  "assignee": "Google",
  "dateFrom": "2025-01-01",
  "maxResults": 25,
  "delivery": "webhook",
  "webhookUrl": "https://example.com/apify/webhook",
  "demoMode": false
}

Demo Mode (Conversion-Friendly, Non-Abusive)

When demoMode=true:

• Max results are capped at 3
• Detailed fields are masked
• Webhook delivery is disabled (dataset only)

Upgrade signal is included in meta.upgradeHint so users know how to unlock full output.

Source Reliability

Fallback order:

1. PatentsView API (if apiKey is provided)
2. Google Patents XHR endpoint
3. Diagnostic NO_DATA row (if all sources fail)

This keeps downstream automations alive even during upstream outages.

Common Use Cases

• IP and legal teams: competitor filing watch
• Startup founders: prior-art and landscape scans
• Investors: portfolio IP due diligence
• Research teams: patent trend monitoring

Cost Notes

• No paid third-party API required by default
• PatentsView API key is optional

Commercial Ops

Set up .env:

$cp -n .env.example .env

Cloud task/schedule setup:

$npm run apify:cloud:setup

Live checks:

npm run canary:check
npm run contract:test:live

OpenClaw cron examples:

• openclaw-cron-commands.md

Related actors

• procurement-intel-actor — pair patent monitoring with tender and buyer signals in the same market.
• tech-events-intelligence — track conferences and CFPs around the same companies or topics.
• apple-podcast-scraper — research founders, spokespeople, and category content around the same patent themes.