DocsErrors

Errors

The FindIP API uses standard HTTP status codes and returns JSON error responses with details about what went wrong.

Error Response Format

All error responses follow this structure:

{
  "detail": "Human-readable error message"
}

Code	Status	Description
`200`	OK	Request succeeded
`300`	Multiple Choices	Document ID matches multiple patents (see Document Detail API)

Code	Status	Description
`400`	Bad Request	Invalid request body. Missing required fields (e.g., query), invalid parameter types or values.
`401`	Unauthorized	Invalid or missing API key. Check your Authorization header.
`403`	Forbidden	API key is valid but does not have permission for this operation.
`404`	Not Found	The requested resource was not found (e.g., document ID does not exist).
`429`	Too Many Requests	Daily usage limit exceeded. Upgrade your plan or wait until the limit resets.

Code	Status	Description
`500`	Internal Server Error	An unexpected error occurred on the server. Try again later.
`503`	Service Unavailable	Server is temporarily unavailable (maintenance or overload).

401 Unauthorized

{
  "detail": "Invalid API key"
}

Ensure your request includes Authorization: Bearer psk_live_xxx.

429 Too Many Requests

{
  "detail": "Daily limit exceeded"
}

Your daily API call quota has been reached. Limits reset at midnight UTC. Check your usage on the Usage Dashboard.

400 Bad Request

{
  "detail": "Field 'query' is required"
}

404 Not Found

{
  "detail": "Document not found"
}

Verify the publication_id format. Use the full ID including country code (e.g., US12261291B2 instead of 12261291).

1.Always check the HTTP status code before parsing the response body.
2.Implement exponential backoff for 429 and 500 errors.
3.Log the full error response for debugging. The detail field provides actionable information.
4.Handle 300 Multiple Choices gracefully by presenting candidates to the user.
5.Set a reasonable request timeout (30 seconds recommended for search, 10 seconds for other endpoints).