# USPTO Patents Scraper (Open Data Portal) (`themineworks/uspto-patents`) Actor

Scrape US patent applications and grants from the official USPTO Open Data Portal: numbers, titles, status, filing/grant dates, applicants and inventors. Search by keyword, applicant, inventor, or date. Clean JSON for IP research and competitive intel. USPTO.gov account (MFA) + ODP key required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/themineworks/uspto-patents.md
- **Developed by:** [The Mine Works](https://apify.com/themineworks) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, MCP servers
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $48.00 / 1,000 application records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **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).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

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).

# README

## USPTO Patents Scraper (Open Data Portal)

Scrape **US patent applications and grants** from the official **USPTO Open Data Portal (ODP)** — no browser, just an official API key. Returns clean, structured JSON for IP research, prior-art searches, competitive intelligence and RAG.

> **Retargeted 2026-08-01.** The old PatentsView-based version is dead — `search.patentsview.org` no longer resolves at all, and its own reference client was archived upstream. This version targets the live replacement, USPTO's Open Data Portal.

### What you get per record

- `application_number` — USPTO application number
- `invention_title`
- `application_type` — e.g. Utility, Design, Plant, Reissue
- `status` — current application status
- `filing_date`
- `grant_date` — absent if not yet granted
- `patent_number` — absent if not yet granted
- `first_inventor`, `first_applicant`
- `inventors`, `applicants` — full lists
- `cpc_classifications`
- `docket_number`, `examiner_name`
- `url` — Google Patents link if granted, else USPTO Patent Center link
- `scraped_at`

ODP covers **applications**, not only granted patents — an application that hasn't granted yet still returns a full record, just with `grant_date`/`patent_number` unset.

### Get your API key (required — bigger step than it used to be)

As of **June 18, 2026**, the USPTO Open Data Portal requires signing in with a full **USPTO.gov account with mandatory multi-factor authentication** just to request a key — this is no longer a "get a key by email in 5 minutes" flow. From **August 18, 2026**, four additional profile fields also become mandatory on that account.

1. Create a USPTO.gov account (with MFA) if you don't have one.
2. Request an Open Data Portal key at **https://data.uspto.gov/apis/getting-started**.
3. Paste it into the `apiKey` input. It is sent only as the `X-API-KEY` header and is never written to the dataset.

### Input

| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `apiKey` | yes | Your USPTO ODP API key |
| `keyword` | no | Match applications whose invention title contains this phrase |
| `applicantName` | no | Applicant/company name as filed |
| `inventorName` | no | Inventor name |
| `applicationType` | no | e.g. Utility, Design, Plant, Reissue |
| `dateFrom` | no | Grant date on/after `YYYY-MM-DD` |
| `dateTo` | no | Grant date on/before `YYYY-MM-DD` |
| `maxResults` | no | Max records (1–100, default 25) |

At least one of `keyword`, `applicantName`, `inventorName` or `applicationType` must be supplied.

#### Example input

```json
{
  "apiKey": "YOUR_USPTO_ODP_KEY",
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "applicationType": "Utility",
  "maxResults": 25
}
```

#### Example output row

```json
{
  "application_number": "17123456",
  "invention_title": "Machine learning system for ...",
  "application_type": "Utility",
  "status": "Patented Case",
  "filing_date": "2021-06-01",
  "grant_date": "2022-11-15",
  "patent_number": "11500000",
  "first_inventor": "Jane Doe",
  "first_applicant": "International Business Machines Corporation",
  "inventors": ["Jane Doe", "John Smith"],
  "applicants": ["International Business Machines Corporation"],
  "cpc_classifications": ["G06N20/00"],
  "docket_number": "IBM-12345",
  "examiner_name": "Smith, A.",
  "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11500000",
  "scraped_at": "2026-08-01T00:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Pricing

**Pay per record delivered.** Empty results and failed runs are never charged.

### Run on a schedule

Apify Console → this Actor → **Schedules** → **Add schedule** → pick a cadence (e.g. weekly) → **Save**. It reruns with the same input automatically.

### Data source

Official USPTO Open Data Portal (`https://api.uspto.gov`). This actor is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.

# Actor input Schema

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

The USPTO Open Data Portal requires a free API key. As of June 2026 this needs a full USPTO.gov account with multi-factor authentication — request one at https://data.uspto.gov/apis/getting-started and paste the key here. It is sent as the X-API-KEY header and never stored in the dataset.

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

Match applications whose invention title contains this phrase (e.g. lithium battery). Leave empty to search by applicant, inventor, type, or date only.

## `applicantName` (type: `string`):

Applicant/company name as filed on the application (e.g. International Business Machines Corporation). Optional.

## `inventorName` (type: `string`):

Inventor name to filter by. Optional.

## `applicationType` (type: `string`):

e.g. Utility, Design, Plant, Reissue. Optional.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only applications granted on or after this date. Optional — applications not yet granted have no grant date and are excluded if this is set.

## `dateTo` (type: `string`):

Only applications granted on or before this date. Optional.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of application records to return.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "applicantName": "",
  "inventorName": "",
  "applicationType": "",
  "dateFrom": "",
  "dateTo": "",
  "maxResults": 25
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keyword": "machine learning",
    "maxResults": 25
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("themineworks/uspto-patents").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keyword": "machine learning",
    "maxResults": 25,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("themineworks/uspto-patents").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "maxResults": 25
}' |
apify call themineworks/uspto-patents --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=themineworks/uspto-patents",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/49wHYaupOhcGWAtS2/builds/nn2VWcoWVf1Ee7ig2/openapi.json