Uspto Enriched Citation Mcp

USPTO Patent Citation MCP Server (Enriched v3 + OA v2)

A high-performance Model Context Protocol (MCP) server providing access to two USPTO patent citation APIs — the Enriched Citations v3 (AI-extracted passage locations, claim mapping) and the Office Action Citations v2 (raw Form 892/1449 citation data) — with token-saving context reduction (90-95%), progressive disclosure workflows, interactive MCP Apps UI panels, and seamless cross-MCP integration for complete patent lifecycle analysis.

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Demo

A single prompt drives a full examiner citation analysis — Enriched Citations MCP and Patent File Wrapper MCP working together to profile examiner citation patterns across both the enriched and raw OA datasets, with ultra-minimal field selection to keep token usage lean. Ultra-minimal mode requests only the fields needed for each step, so in the video you'll see many fields showing as — (not requested). That's intentional, not missing data.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/668bd241-5d98-4932-90b3-129c28084bc6

📚 Documentation

| Document | Description | |----------|-------------| | [📥 Installation Guide](INSTALL.md) | Complete cross-platform setup with automated scripts | | [🔑 API Key Guide](APIKEYGUIDE.md) | Step-by-step guide with screenshots for obtaining USPTO and Mistral API keys | | [📖 Usage Examples](USAGEEXAMPLES.md) | Function examples, workflows, and integration patterns | | [🎯 Prompt Templates](PROMPTS.md) | Detailed guide to sophisticated prompt templates for citation analysis & research workflows | | [🧪 Testing Guide](tests/README.md) | Test suite documentation and API key setup | | [🔒 Security Guidelines](SECURITYGUIDELINES.md) | Comprehensive security best practices | | [🛡️ Security Scanning](SECURITY_SCANNING.md) | Automated secret detection and prevention guide | | [⚖️ License](LICENSE) | MIT License terms and conditions |

⚡ Quick Start

Windows Install

Run PowerShell as Administrator, then:

# Navigate to your user profile
cd $env:USERPROFILE

# If git is installed:
git clone https://github.com/john-walkoe/uspto_enriched_citation_mcp.git
cd uspto_enriched_citation_mcp

# If git is NOT installed:
# Download and extract the repository to C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\uspto_enriched_citation_mcp
# Then navigate to the folder:
# cd C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\uspto_enriched_citation_mcp

# Run setup script (sets execution policy for this session only):
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Scope Process
.\deploy\windows_setup.ps1

# View INSTALL.md for sample script output.
# Close PowerShell Window.
# If you chose option to "configure Claude Desktop integration" then restart Claude Desktop

The PowerShell script will:

• ✅ Check for and auto-install uv (via winget or PowerShell script)
• ✅ Install dependencies and create executable
• ✅ Prompt for USPTO API key (required) or Detect if you had installed the developer's other USPTO MCPs and ask if want to use existing keys from those installation.
• 🔒 If entering in API keys, the script will automatically store API keys securely using Windows DPAPI encryption
• ✅ Ask if you want Claude Desktop integration configured
• 🔒 Offer secure configuration method (recommended) or traditional method (API keys in plain text in the MCP JSON file)
• ✅ Backups and then automatically merge with existing Claude Desktop config (preserves other MCP servers)
• ✅ Provide installation summary and next steps

Claude Desktop Configuration - Manual installs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "uspto_enriched_citations": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "C:/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/uspto_enriched_citation_mcp",
               "run",
               "uspto_enriched_citation_mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "USPTO_API_KEY": "your_actual_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For detailed installation, manual setup, and troubleshooting, see [INSTALL.md](./INSTALL.md)

🔑 Key Benefits

• 🗺️Smart Field Mapping & Selection - User-configurable field sets via YAML without code changes
• 📊Progressive Disclosure Workflow - Minimal discovery → Balanced analysis → Detailed citation examination
• 🎯Token-Saving Context Reduction - 90-95% reduction to optimized search results
• 📋Lucene Query Syntax Support - Full Apache Lucene Query Parser Syntax with validation
• ✨Two Citation APIs - Enriched Citations v3 (AI-extracted) + Office Action Citations v2 (raw 892/1449)
• 🖥️MCP Apps UI - Interactive card-based panels for citation results, OA citations, and statistics
• 🔗Cross-MCP Integration - Links to Patent File Wrapper, PTAB, and other USPTO MCPs
• 🌐HTTP + stdio Dual Transport - stdio for Claude Desktop, HTTP mode for MCP Apps and reverse proxies
• 🛡️Production-Ready Resilience - Structured logging, retry logic, circuit breaker, rate limiting

Workflow Design - All Performed by LLM with Minimal User Guidance

User Requests the following:

• "Find all citations for application 16751234 and analyze the citation patterns"
• "Show me citations from Apple Inc in technology center 2100"
• "Research examiner citation patterns for art unit 2854"
• "Analyze citation decision types for machine learning patents filed in 2023"
• "Find citations that were CITED (not DISCARDED) in software classification 706"

LLM Performs these steps:

Step 1: Discovery minimal → Step 2: Filter & Select → Step 3: Analyze (optional) → Step 4: Citation Details (optional) → Step 5: Cross-MCP Integration (optional)

The field configuration supports an optimized research progression:

1. Discovery minimal returns 50-100 citations efficiently with essential identifiers and decision info
2. Filter & Select from results to identify most relevant citations for detailed analysis
3. Analyze (optional) detailed research using balanced field set when comprehensive analysis needed
4. Citation Details (optional) get complete citation record with optional citing context and passage analysis
5. Cross-MCP Integration (optional) connect citations to prosecution history, PTAB challenges, or knowledge base research

🎯 Prompt Templates

The Citations MCP provides 5 guided workflow prompts accessible directly in Claude Desktop UI. These templates automate complex multi-step citation analysis workflows and eliminate the need to memorize tool syntax.

For detailed prompt documentation, usage examples, and cross-MCP integration patterns, see [PROMPTS.md](PROMPTS.md).

Core Prompt Workflows

| Prompt Name | Purpose | |-------------|---------| | patent_citation_analysis | Complete citation analysis for specific patents with prosecution context | | enhanced_examiner_behavior_intelligence_PFW_PTAB_FPD | Comprehensive examiner profiling with citations, petitions, PTAB correlation | | litigation_citation_research_PFW_PTAB | Complete litigation research package with prosecution & PTAB analysis | | technology_citation_landscape_PFW | Map prior art landscape for technology areas | | art_unit_citation_assessment | Analyze art unit citation norms and examiner patterns |

Key Features Across All Templates:

• Enhanced Input Processing - Flexible identifier support (patent numbers, application numbers, title keywords)
• Smart Validation - Automatic format detection and guidance
• Cross-MCP Integration - Seamless workflows with PTAB, FPD, Citations, and Pinecone MCPs

📊 Available Functions (10 Tools)

Enriched Citations v3 Tools (AI-extracted passage locations, claim mapping)

| Tool | Use Case | Requirements | |------|----------|--------------| | search_citations_minimal | Ultra-fast citation discovery — 8 essential fields, 90-95% context reduction | USPTOAPIKEY | | search_citations_balanced | Comprehensive citation analysis — 19 fields, 80-85% context reduction | USPTOAPIKEY | | get_citation_details | Full single citation record by ID. ⚠️ Metadata only — use PFW for actual documents | USPTOAPIKEY | | get_citation_statistics | Database statistics and aggregations for strategic planning | USPTOAPIKEY | | get_available_fields | Discover Enriched Citations field names and query syntax | None |

Office Action Citations v2 Tools (raw Form 892/1449 data — broader coverage)

| Tool | Use Case | Requirements | |------|----------|--------------| | search_oa_citations_minimal | High-volume OA citation discovery — 7 key fields | USPTOAPIKEY | | search_oa_citations_balanced | Detailed OA citation analysis — all 16 fields | USPTOAPIKEY | | get_oa_citation_fields | Discover OA Citations field names and query syntax | None |

Utility Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Requirements | |------|---------|--------------| | validate_query | Validate Lucene syntax and get optimization suggestions | None | | citations_get_guidance | Context-efficient selective guidance sections | None |

When to use each API:

• Enriched Citations v3: When you need passage locations, claim mapping, quality scores, or AI-extracted analysis. Coverage from 2017-10-01.
• OA Citations v2: When you need broader coverage, raw Form 892/1449 data, or want to cross-check enriched results. Recommended as a secondary verification source.

Detailed Citation Tier (get_citation_details): Single citation deep dive

• Complete record: All available citation metadata with formatted presentation
• Optional context: Include citing application details and passage-level analysis
• Strategic insights: Decision reasoning, relevance scores, relationship mapping

LLM Guidance Function

| Function (Display Name) | Purpose | Requirements | |----------|---------|------------| | citations_get_guidance | Context-efficient selective guidance sections | None |

Context-Efficient Guidance System

citations_get_guidance Tool - Solves MCP Resources visibility problem with selective guidance sections:

🎯 Quick Reference Chart - Know exactly which section to call:

• 🔍 "Find citations by examiner/application/tech" → fields
• 📄 "Understand citation categories (X/Y/NPL)" → citation_codes
• 🔖 "Citation data coverage (2017+)" → data_coverage
• 🤝 "PFW workflow for office action documents" → workflows_pfw
• 🚩 "PTAB citation correlation" → workflows_ptab
• 📊 "FPD petition citation patterns" → workflows_fpd
• 🏢 "Complete lifecycle analysis" → workflows_complete
• ⚙️ "Tool guidance and parameters" → tools
• ❌ "Search errors or query issues" → errors
• 💰 "Reduce API costs and optimize" → cost

Patent Attorney Workflows:

• Due Diligence: Citation risk assessment and portfolio analysis
• Prior Art Investigation: Patentability research and invalidity analysis
• Prosecution Strategy: Examiner pattern analysis and response tactics
• Competitive Intelligence: Technology landscape and market positioning

Cross-MCP Integration Workflows:

• PFW + Citations: Connect citations to prosecution history for context
• PTAB + Citations: Correlate citation outcomes with challenge success rates
• FPD + Citations: Petition red flags and prosecution quality assessment
• Complete Lifecycle Analysis: PFW → Citations → PTAB → FPD integrated workflows
• Knowledge Base Research: Integrate with Pinecone Assistant for MPEP guidance

Cost Optimization Guidance:

• Start with minimal discovery to identify key citations
• Progress to balanced analysis only for strategically important citations
• Use ultra-minimal mode with custom fields parameter for 99% token reduction
• Validate complex queries before execution to avoid API waste
• Leverage cross-MCP integration to prevent duplicate research

The tool provides specific workflows, field recommendations, API call optimization strategies, and cross-MCP integration patterns for maximum efficiency. See [USAGEEXAMPLES.md](USAGEEXAMPLES.md) for detailed examples and integration workflows.

🔧 Field Customization

User-Configurable Field Sets

The MCP server supports user-customizable field sets through YAML configuration at the project root. You can modify field sets that minimal and balanced searches bring back without changing any code!

Configuration file: field_configs.yaml (in project root)

Easy Customization Process

1. Open field_configs.yaml in the project root directory
2. Uncomment fields you want by removing the # symbol
3. Save the file - changes take effect on next Claude Desktop restart
4. Use the simplified tools with your custom field selections

Available Field Sets (Progressive Workflow)

• citations_minimal - Ultra-minimal for citation discovery: 8 essential fields for high-volume discovery (50-100 results)
• citations_balanced - Comprehensive citation analysis: 18 key fields for detailed citation analysis and portfolio research

Professional Field Categories Available

⚠️ API v3 Field Reality (22 total fields as of 2024-07-11)

• Core Identifiers: citedDocumentIdentifier, patentApplicationNumber, publicationNumber, id
• Citation Metadata: citationCategoryCode (X=anticipates/obviates alone, Y=obviates combined — only X and Y in dataset, per WIPO ST.14), examinerCitedReferenceIndicator, applicantCitedExaminerReferenceIndicator
• Organizational: groupArtUnitNumber, techCenter, workGroupNumber
• Temporal: officeActionDate, createDateTime
• Content: passageLocationText, relatedClaimNumberText, qualitySummaryText, officeActionCategory
• Reference Details: inventorNameText, kindCode, countryCode, nplIndicator (boolean — X/Y records can be NPL)
• System: createUserIdentifier, obsoleteDocumentIdentifier

❌ Fields NOT Available (despite code references):

• examinerNameText, firstApplicantName, decisionTypeCode, decisionTypeCodeDescriptionText
• inventionTitle, uspcClassification, cpcClassificationBag, patentStatusCodeDescriptionText
• For examiner analysis: Use PFW MCP → get application numbers → search citations

Example Customization

File: field_configs.yaml

predefined_sets:
  citations_minimal:
    description: "Essential fields for citation discovery (90-95% context reduction)"
    fields:
      # === CROSS-MCP INTEGRATION FIELDS ===
      - patentApplicationNumber               # → Patent File Wrapper MCP
      - publicationNumber                     # → PTAB MCP (if granted)
      - groupArtUnitNumber                   # → All USPTO MCPs

      # === CITATION CORE FIELDS ===
      - citedDocumentIdentifier              # Citation reference
      - citationCategoryCode                 # X=US patent, Y=foreign, NPL=non-patent literature
      - techCenter                          # Technology classification
      - officeActionDate                    # Temporal analysis
      - examinerCitedReferenceIndicator      # Examiner vs Applicant

🔗 Lucene Query Syntax Guide

Advanced Query Examples

Field-Specific Searches:

patentApplicationNumber:18010777                    # Exact application match
groupArtUnitNumber:1759                               # Art unit search
techCenter:2100                                       # Technology center match
inventorNameText:Smith*                               # Inventor name prefix wildcard

Boolean Logic:

techCenter:2100 AND groupArtUnitNumber:2854           # Boolean AND
citationCategoryCode:X OR citationCategoryCode:Y      # Only X and Y are populated in this dataset
techCenter:2100 NOT groupArtUnitNumber:1600          # Boolean NOT

Range and Wildcard:

officeActionDate:[2023-01-01 TO 2023-12-31]         # Date range
patentApplicationNumber:18*                           # Wildcard application search
citedDocumentIdentifier:US*

…

## Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [john-walkoe](https://github.com/john-walkoe)
- **Source:** [john-walkoe/uspto_enriched_citation_mcp](https://github.com/john-walkoe/uspto_enriched_citation_mcp)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.