DocsSearch Guide / Advanced search & combinations

Advanced search & filter combinations

When you combine natural-language search with metadata filters (country, date, IPC/CPC, document type, ...) you can pinpoint patents with surgical precision. When prompting an LLM, just list these conditions conversationally.

Filters you can combine

Country

Pick from US · KR · JP · CN · EP. Multiple values allowed.

Example

"Only documents filed at the US and Japan patent offices..."

Doc type

Filter by application status — pending application vs. granted patent.

Example

"Only granted patents (Grant) — exclude pending applications..."

Year / Date

Specify a year/date range using either filing date or publication date.

Example

"Among patents published after 2020..."

IPC / CPC

Narrow to a specific industry or technology area. Prefix-only input (e.g. H01M) automatically covers all sub-codes.

Example

"Among documents with classification code H01L (semiconductors)..."

Practical query combinations

Below are best-practice patterns for what to write in an LLM chat (Claude, etc.) — and how those map to REST API calls.

Scenario 1. Tech + specific country + period filter — search_patents

AI prompt (natural language)

"For tech that uses deep learning to remove reflected-wave noise in LiDAR sensors, find the top 5 documents granted/published at the US and KR patent offices from 2022 onward."

API parameters
{
"query": "deep learning approach to remove reflected wave noise in LiDAR sensors",
"top_k": 5,
"filters": {
  "country_codes": ["US", "KR"],
  "publication_year_min": 2022
}
}

Scenario 2. Company comparison + IPC narrowing + stats — search_with_stats

AI prompt (natural language)

"Among patents filed by Samsung Electronics and TSMC, find documents in IPC class H01L (semiconductors) related to foundry process-node yield improvement. Then compare their annual filing volume over the last 10 years in a table."

API parameters
{
"query": "foundry process-node yield improvement",
"year_min": 2015,
"top_k": 2000,
"filters": {
  "applicants": ["Samsung Electronics", "TSMC"],
  "ipc_codes": ["H01L"]
},
"include": ["by_year", "by_applicant"]
}

Internally, applicant_resolve auto-expands Samsung and TSMC's English / multilingual name variants.

Scenario 3. Status filter (granted only) — search_patents

AI prompt (natural language)

"For mechanical structures that flatten the hinge crease on foldable smartphones, find only granted patents — exclude pending publications."

API parameters
{
"query": "structure that flattens the hinge crease on foldable smartphone displays",
"filters": {
  "doc_type": "grant"
}
}
FindIP — Semantic Patent Search