patent-pipeline

Patent Pipeline: From Invention to Filing

Draft a complete patent application based on: $ARGUMENTS

Overview

This skill orchestrates the full patent drafting lifecycle -- from prior art search through jurisdiction-formatted filing documents. It chains sub-skills into a patent-specific pipeline:

/prior-art-search → /patent-novelty-check → /invention-structuring → /claims-drafting → /specification-writing → /patent-review → /jurisdiction-format
     (search)           (verify)              (structure)             (claims)            (description)          (examiner)         (compile)
                                                                                              ├── /figure-description
                                                                                              └── /embodiment-description

This is a parallel branch, not part of the linear research pipeline. After /idea-discovery produces validated ideas, the user can either:

• Go to /experiment-bridge → /auto-review-loop → /paper-writing (publish track)
• Go to /grant-proposal (funding track)
• Go to /patent-pipeline (patent track) <-- this skill

                    ┌→ /experiment-bridge → /auto-review-loop → /paper-writing  (publish track)
/idea-discovery ────┤
                    ├→ /grant-proposal → [get funded] → ...  (funding track)
                    └→ /patent-pipeline → [file patent]       (patent track)

Patents are about protecting inventions (legal scope), not publishing results (academic contribution). This skill handles the unique requirements of patent drafting: prior art analysis, claims hierarchy design, specification writing with enablement support, embodiment descriptions, and jurisdiction-specific formatting.

Constants

• JURISDICTION = CN — Target patent jurisdiction. Options: CN (CNIPA), US (USPTO), EP (EPO), ALL (generate all three). Override via argument (e.g., /patent-pipeline "invention — US").
• PATENT_TYPE = invention — invention (发明专利, 20 year protection) or utility_model (实用新型, CN only, 10 year protection, apparatus claims only). Override via argument.
• REVIEWER_MODEL = gpt-5.5 — Model used via Codex MCP for examiner-style review.
• MAX_REVIEW_ROUNDS = 2 — Maximum review-revision cycles.
• AUTO_PROCEED = false — At each checkpoint, always wait for explicit user confirmation. Patent applications require inventor judgment at every stage. Set true only if user explicitly requests autonomous mode.
• LANGUAGE = auto — Output language. Auto-detected from jurisdiction: CN->Chinese, US->English, EP->English. Override explicitly if needed.
• OUTPUT_DIR = patent/ — Directory for generated patent files.
• OUTPUT_FORMAT = markdown — Draft format. markdown for review, docx for filing-ready.

Override defaults via arguments: /patent-pipeline "invention — US, utility model" or /patent-pipeline "invention — ALL, language: Chinese".

Patent Type Specifications

Invention Patent (发明专利)

| Field | Detail | |-------|--------| | Protection | 20 years from filing date | | Subject matter | Methods, systems, products, compositions, processes | | Examination | Substantive examination required | | Inventive step | High (must involve an inventive step / 创造性) | | Timeline | 2-4 years to grant (CN); 2-3 years (US); 3-5 years (EP) | | Claims | Method + system + product claims allowed |

Utility Model (实用新型) — CN Only

| Field | Detail | |-------|--------| | Protection | 10 years from filing date | | Subject matter | Product shape, structure, or combination thereof only | | Examination | Formal examination only (no substantive examination) | | Inventive step | Lower than invention patent | | Timeline | 6-8 months to grant | | Claims | Apparatus/device claims only. NO method claims. | | Restriction | CN jurisdiction only |

State Persistence (Compact Recovery)

Patent drafting is a long task that may trigger context compaction. Persist state to patent/PATENT_STATE.json after each phase:

{
  "phase": 3,
  "jurisdiction": "CN",
  "patent_type": "invention",
  "language": "Chinese",
  "codex_thread_id": "019cfcf4-...",
  "invention_title": "...",
  "claims_count": 15,
  "status": "in_progress",
  "timestamp": "2026-04-10T15:00:00"
}

Write this file at the end of every phase. On invocation, check for this file:

• If absent or status: "completed" -> fresh start
• If status: "in_progress" and within 24h -> resume from saved phase (read output files to restore context)
• If older than 24h -> fresh start (stale state)

On completion, set "status": "completed".

Workflow

Phase 0: Input Parsing & Context Gathering

Parse $ARGUMENTS to extract:

1. Invention description — may be structured (references INVENTION_BRIEF.md), conversational with figures, or output from IDEA_REPORT.md
2. Jurisdiction — detect from keywords (e.g., "CN" or "中国" -> CN, "US" or "USPTO" -> US, "EP" or "EPO" -> EP, "ALL")
3. Patent type — detect from keywords (e.g., "utility model" or "实用新型" -> utility_model, default -> invention)
4. Overrides — language, output format, review rounds

Then gather context from the project directory:

1. Read INVENTION_BRIEF.md if it exists (user filled in the template)
2. Read IDEA_REPORT.md if it exists (from /idea-discovery -- can extract invention from research results)
3. Read refine-logs/FINAL_PROPOSAL.md if it exists
4. Read NARRATIVE_REPORT.md if it exists (research results that may be patentable)
5. Search for user-provided figures (PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF) in the project directory
6. Check for patent/PATENT_STATE.json (resume from prior interrupted run)

If insufficient context exists:

• No invention description at all -> suggest user describe the invention or fill in INVENTION_BRIEF.md
• Has IDEA_REPORT.md -> extract patentable aspects from the research
• Has figures -> reference them in the invention brief
• No figures -> note that figures will be needed and plan what drawings are required

If the input is conversational (not a structured brief), parse the description into the invention brief structure and write patent/INVENTION_BRIEF.md for downstream phases.

Phase 1: Prior Art Search & Novelty Assessment

1.1 Prior Art Search

Invoke /prior-art-search:

/prior-art-search "patent/INVENTION_BRIEF.md"

This searches patent databases (Google Patents, Espacenet) and academic literature for relevant prior art.

1.2 Novelty Check

Invoke /patent-novelty-check:

/patent-novelty-check "patent/INVENTION_BRIEF.md"

This assesses novelty and non-obviousness against the prior art found in step 1.1.

🚦 Checkpoint: Present the prior art landscape and novelty assessment:

Prior art search complete:
- [X] patent references found
- [Y] non-patent literature references found
- Closest prior art: [reference] -- [why it's closest]
- Novelty assessment: [PATENTABLE / PATENTABLE WITH AMENDMENTS / NOT PATENTABLE]
- Key risk areas: [list]

Ready to proceed with invention structuring?

⛔ STOP HERE and wait for user response. Do NOT auto-proceed unless AUTO_PROCEED=true.

Options:

• Reply "go" -> proceed to Phase 2
• Reply with adjustments -> refine the invention scope and re-check novelty
• Reply "stop" -> save progress to patent/DRAFT_NOTES.md

State: Write PATENT_STATE.json with phase: 1.

Phase 2: Invention Structuring & Claims Design

2.1 Structure the Invention

Invoke /invention-structuring:

/invention-structuring "patent/INVENTION_BRIEF.md"

This decomposes the invention into core inventive concept, supporting features, and optional features. Produces patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md.

2.2 Draft Claims

Invoke /claims-drafting:

/claims-drafting "patent/INVENTION_DISCLOSURE.md"

This drafts the claims hierarchy -