patent-risk-checker

IMPORTANT — Working Directory: All scripts in this skill MUST be executed with the working directory set to the absolute path of the directory containing this SKILL.md file (the skill root directory). Always cd into this directory before running any command. Do NOT use relative paths or shell shortcuts like ~ in paths, as they may not be resolved by the execution environment.

Patent Risk Checker v1.1.0

Core Question

Does this product have patent/IP infringement risk in the target market?

Product Understanding Step

Before running this skill, if the user provides a product, image, ASIN, listing, product ID, or product idea, first identify:

product type/category
main use case
key physical, design, or functional features
target marketplace, country, or platform
user's analysis goal

Use this product understanding to choose parameters, filters, competitors, regions, keywords, or analysis dimensions before executing the script.

Does this product have patent risks?

Patent infringement risk assessment via image search.

Clarify or Infer Before Querying

If product image or product context is missing, ask for image URL, listing, or product details.
Clarify target countries/regions before risk screening.
Use patent-report-generator when the user asks for a complete clearance report.

Differs From / Not Applicable

Use design-patent-analyzer for visual design-patent similarity only.
Use patent-claim-analyzer for a known patent claim.
Use patent-legal-status for expiration/validity.
Use patent-report-generator for complete clearance reports.

Workflow

Understand product image/context and target regions.
Search for similar design/utility patent risks.
Assess similarity, active status, and litigation/legal relevance.
Return risk level, closest patents, and whether deeper claim/legal review is needed.

Usage

# Basic risk check by image
python3 scripts/patent_risk_checker.py '{"imageUrl": "https://example.com/product.jpg", "regions": "US,EU"}'

# With product info for utility patent check
python3 scripts/patent_risk_checker.py '{
  "imageUrl": "https://example.com/product.jpg",
  "productTitle": "Wireless Earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation",
  "productDescription": "TWS earbuds with ANC, 30hr battery...",
  "regions": "US"
}'

# Generate charts
python3 scripts/patent_risk_checker.py '{"imageUrl": "..."}' --chart /tmp/charts

⚠️ MANDATORY: Charts & Display Rules

Generate charts by default for full analytical reports — use --chart with an output directory unless the user asks for a quick text-only result or chart data is unavailable.
Send generated charts to the user — when charts are created, share all chart PNGs immediately.
All chart styling is driven by ecommerce_chart_helpers.py which reads from chart_style.json (derived from references/display-rules.md). Do NOT hardcode colors in scripts.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`imageUrl`	string	Yes	-	Product image URL (required)
`countries`	string	No		Target countries (comma-separated, e.g. "US,EU,CN")
`limit`	int	No	50	Max patents to return per type

Supported Regions

Region	Code	Patent Office
🇺🇸 United States	US	USPTO
🇪🇺 European Union	EU	EPO
🇨🇳 China	CN	CNIPA
🇯🇵 Japan	JP	JPO
🇰🇷 Korea	KR	KIPO
🇩🇪 Germany	DE	DPMA
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	GB	UKIPO
🇫🇷 France	FR	INPI
🇮🇹 Italy	IT	UIBM
🇦🇺 Australia	AU	IP Australia
🇨🇦 Canada	CA	CIPO
🇧🇷 Brazil	BR	INPI
🇲🇽 Mexico	MX	IMPI
🇮🇳 India	IN	IPO India

Risk Levels

Score	Level	Meaning	Recommendation
0-25	🟢 LOW	Minimal risk	Proceed with confidence
26-50	🟡 MEDIUM	Some concerns	Review flagged patents
51-75	🟠 HIGH	Significant risk	Legal consultation advised
76-100	🔴 CRITICAL	Major infringement risk	Do not proceed

Risk Scoring Algorithm

Risk Score = (
 Similarity × 50% +
 Legal_Status × 30% +
 Litigation × 20%
)

Component Breakdown

Factor	Weight	Logic
Similarity	50%	Highest similarity × 100
Legal Status	30%	% of active patents
Litigation	20%	100 if litigation history, else 0

Output Structure

The output will be a structured markdown report, following this format:

Product Patent Risk Check Report: [Product Image URL]

1. Executive Summary

Input Image: [imageUrl]
Target Countries: [countries] (if provided)
Overall Risk Score: [risk_summary.overall_score]
Risk Level: [risk_summary.level] ([risk_summary.emoji])
Recommendation: [Recommendation from Risk Levels table for corresponding level]
Core Insight: This report assesses potential patent infringement risks related to the product image, covering both design and utility patents.

2. Risk Overview

Design Patent Risk Score: [risk_summary.design_patent_risk]
Utility Patent Risk Score: [risk_summary.utility_patent_risk]

3. Alerts & Risk Events

Identified Alerts:

Alert Type	Severity	Trigger Condition (Detailed Description)
[alerts[0].type]	[alerts[0].severity]	[alerts[0].description]
...	...	...
(Listing all identified alerts)

4. Design Patent Analysis

Matching Patent Count: [design_patents.count]
Highest Similarity: [design_patents.highest_similarity]
TRO Flagged Count: [design_patents.tro_flagged] (if tro_flagged exists)
Top 3 Matching Design Patents:

Patent Number	Title	Similarity%	Status
[design_patents.top_matches[0].patent_number]	[design_patents.top_matches[0].title]	[design_patents.top_matches[0].similarity_pct]%	[design_patents.top_matches[0].status]
...	...	...	...

5. Utility Patent Analysis

Matching Patent Count: [utility_patents.count]
Highest Similarity: [utility_patents.highest_similarity]
TRO Flagged Count: [utility_patents.tro_flagged] (if tro_flagged exists)
Top 3 Matching Utility Patents:

Patent Number	Title	Similarity%	Status
[utility_patents.top_matches[0].patent_number]	[utility_patents.top_matches[0].title]	[utility_patents.top_matches[0].similarity_pct]%	[utility_patents.top_matches[0].status]
...	...	...	...

6. Actionable Recommendations

Based on Overall Risk Level: [Recommendation from Risk Levels table for corresponding level]
Specific Recommendations: (if insights includes a recommendations list)

7. Attached Visualizations

Risk Gauge (1_risk_gauge.png)
Similarity Distribution (2_similarity.png)
Region Coverage (3_regions.png)
Patent Expiration Timeline (4_timeline.png)

Alert Types

Alert	Severity	Trigger
🚨 LITIGATION_HISTORY	CRITICAL	Patent has litigation event history
⚠️ HIGH_SIMILARITY	HIGH	Design ≥80% or Utility ≥70%
⚠️ MODERATE_SIMILARITY	MEDIUM	Design 60-80% similarity

Charts Generated

Chart	Description	File
Risk Gauge	Overall risk visualization	`1_risk_gauge.png`
Similarity Distribution	Patent similarity breakdown	`2_similarity.png`
Region Coverage	Risk by target market	`3_regions.png`
Timeline	Patent expiration timeline	`4_timeline.png`

Best Practices

When to Check

Before sourcing — Check supplier samples
Before listing — Verify main product images
Before PPC — Don't advertise risky products
Periodically — New patents file constantly

What to Do with Results

Risk Level	Action
🟢 LOW	Document check, proceed
🟡 MEDIUM	Review specific patents, modify if needed
🟠 HIGH	Get legal opinion before proceeding
🔴 CRITICAL	Do not sell this product

Limitations

Visual search works best with clear product images
Utility search requires accurate product descriptions
Results are advisory, not legal advice
Some newer patents may not be indexed yet

Data Sources

Source	Endpoint	Data
Zhihuiya	`/api/v1/tools/linkfox/zhihuiya/patentImageSearch` (Design, model=1)	Design patent visual similarity
Zhihuiya	`/api/v1/tools/linkfox/zhihuiya/patentImageSearch` (Utility, model=4)	Utility patent image similarity
Zhihuiya	`/api/v1/tools/linkfox/zhihuiya/legalStatus`	Legal status and litigation event history

Coverage: 170M+ patents from 150+ countries. Litigation, Transfer, License, Pledge event records included.

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
`NEXSCOPE_PROXY_BASE`	Yes	NexScope proxy base URL
`NEXSCOPE_API_KEY`	Yes	NexScope proxy API key

References

USPTO: https://www.uspto.gov
EPO: https://www.epo.org