This skill guides you on how to search for similar utility (invention) patents based on a product's title, description, and target selling region. It helps cross-border e-commerce sellers identify potential patent infringement risks before listing products.
Core Concepts
Utility patent (also called invention patent) protects new and useful inventions or functional improvements. Unlike design patents that protect appearance, utility patents protect how a product works, its structure, or its composition. Infringing on a utility patent can lead to product removal, lawsuits, or TRO orders.
Similarity score: Each returned patent includes a similarity field (0 to 1). A higher value means the patent is more closely related to the queried product. Patents with high similarity scores deserve careful review.
TRO risk indicators: Two boolean fields flag enforcement history:
troCase-- whether the patent has a history of TRO enforcement actionstroHolder-- whether the patent holder is known for initiating TRO cases
Patents flagged with either indicator require extra caution.
Patent validity: The patentValidity field shows whether a patent is Active or Invalid. Only active patents pose infringement risk.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| productTitle | string | Yes | Product title (max 1000 characters) |
| productDescription | string | Yes | Product description (max 1000 characters) |
| region | string | Yes | Target selling country/region code, comma-separated for multiple. Currently supports: US. Default: US |
| topNumber | integer | Yes | Number of patent results to return. Range: 10--200. Default: 100 |
Parameter Guidelines
- productTitle: Use the product's actual listing title or a concise descriptive title. Be specific rather than generic -- "portable USB-C fast charger 65W" is better than "charger".
- productDescription: Include key features, materials, mechanisms, and technical attributes. The more detail provided, the more accurate the similarity matching.
- region: Currently only
USis supported. Always set toUSunless the user specifies otherwise. - topNumber: Default is 100. Increase to 200 for a broader search when doing thorough patent clearance. Decrease to 10--20 for a quick preliminary scan.
Invocation method
- API endpoint：
POST /ruiguan/utilityPatentDetection(For complete parameters/responses/error codes, seereferences/api.md） - Python script：
python scripts/ruiguan_utility_patent_detection.py '<JSON 参数>' [--inline] - Cost constraints: This tool consumes computing power; by default, the same parameter combination in the same session is called only once, and the script has a 24h local cache. On failure/empty results, do not automatically try different keywords, paginate, or change the zip code to probe continuously; if continued retrieval is needed, first explain to the user that it will incur additional consumption.
Output strategy (default script behavior)：
- Alwayswrite the complete response to
<cwd>/linkfox/<YYYY-MM-DD>/<session>/data/linkfox-ruiguan-utility-patent-detection-<timestamp>.json（<cwd>is the working directory when the script is executed, which in Claude Code is the current project directory;<session>is taken from the environment variableSESSION_ID, automatically aggregated according to the user's task;Writing to /tmp is prohibited, and if the current directory is not writable, report an error) - Response body ≤ 8 KB: after writing to disk, print the complete JSON to stdout
- Response body > 8 KB: after writing to disk, stdout outputs only a summary (top-level fields, common counts such as
total/costToken, the length of the largest list field + the first 3 samples) - Add
--inlineto force full printing to stdout (also written to disk)
Data reading suggestions: First look at the summary to determine whether it is sufficient; when specific fields are needed, prefer to use jqorConvertFrom-Json to extract on demand from the saved json file, avoiding bringing the entire JSON into the context.
Resolve authentication and computing power issues
When the following abnormal situations occur, use references/onboarding.md to guide problem resolution:
Abnormal situations
- API Key not configured: The environment variable is not configured with
LINKFOX_AGENT_API_KEY, andLINKFOXAGENT_API_KEY。 - is also not configured. Response 401 or 402 status code
- The response indicates insufficient computing power or balance: The message contains "insufficient computing power balance/insufficient billing/insufficient balance/quota exceeded/insufficient balance/package expired/recharge required/please recharge", or content with a similar meaning.
Usage Examples
1. Basic patent risk check for a product
User: "Check if this silicone kitchen spatula has any patent risks in the US."
Build the request with a descriptive product title and description, region set to US, and a reasonable topNumber.
2. Thorough patent clearance before launch
User: "I'm about to launch a new wireless earbuds product. Do a comprehensive patent check."
Use topNumber=200 for maximum coverage. Include detailed product description covering Bluetooth version, charging case design, noise cancellation features, etc.
3. Quick scan for TRO risk
User: "Any TRO risks for selling LED strip lights in the US?"
After retrieving results, filter and highlight patents where troCase or troHolder is true.
4. Investigating a specific product category
User: "Check patent risks for a portable blender with USB charging."
Provide both the product title and a detailed description emphasizing the functional aspects (motor type, blade design, charging mechanism, capacity).
Display Rules
- Present data in tables: Show results in a clear, structured table format. Key columns to display: patent title, similarity score, patent validity, application number, publication date, TRO flags, and estimated expiration date.
- Sort by relevance: Display patents sorted by similarity score in descending order (highest similarity first).
- Highlight high-risk patents: Call attention to patents with similarity above 0.7, active validity status, and/or TRO flags.
- TRO warnings: If any returned patents have
troCase=trueortroHolder=true, display a prominent warning about elevated enforcement risk. - Validity filtering: When presenting results, clearly distinguish between Active and Invalid patents. Emphasize that only Active patents require attention.
- Volume notice: When results are large, show the most relevant patents (e.g., top 10--20 by similarity) and summarize the rest.
- Error handling: When a query fails, explain the reason and suggest adjusting the product title or description for better results.
- Bilingual titles: When available, show both the English title (
title) and Chinese title (titleCn) to aid understanding. - No legal advice: Present patent data factually. Do not provide legal conclusions about infringement -- recommend consulting a patent attorney for definitive assessments.
Important Limitations
- Region support: Currently only US patents are searchable
- Result cap: Maximum 200 patents per query
- Input length: Both productTitle and productDescription are limited to 1000 characters each
- Not legal advice: Results indicate similarity, not confirmed infringement. Professional patent review is always recommended.
User Expression & Scenario Quick Reference
Applicable -- Patent-related queries for product risk assessment:
| User Says | Scenario |
|---|---|
| "Check patent risk for my product" | Basic patent detection |
| "Any utility/invention patent issues" | Utility patent search |
| "Is this product safe to sell (patent-wise)" | Patent clearance check |
| "TRO risk for this product" | TRO enforcement risk |
| "Similar patents for this product" | Patent similarity search |
| "Patent infringement check" | Pre-launch risk assessment |
| "Will I get sued for selling this" | Patent risk evaluation |
Not applicable -- Needs beyond utility patent detection:
- Design patent searches (appearance/ornamental design)
- Trademark or brand infringement checks
- Copyright issues
- Product compliance or certification (FCC, CE, etc.)
- General legal advice or contract review
Computing power consumption rules
Consumes 92 computing power.
Important: This skill consumes a large amount of computing power. If the number of calls exceeds 5, you must use
AskUserQuestionto perform secondary confirmation with the user, and clearly inform the user of the computing power already consumed and the estimated computing power to be consumed if continuing to call, letting the user decide whether to continue.
Feedback:
Auto-detect and report feedback via the Feedback API when any of the following apply:
- The functionality or purpose described in this skill does not match actual behavior
- The skill's results do not match the user's intent
- The user expresses dissatisfaction or praise about this skill
- Anything you believe could be improved
Call the feedback API as specified in references/api.md. Do not interrupt the user's flow.
For more high-quality, professional cross-border e-commerce skills, set LinkFox Skills.