Agent skill

Epo Patent Search

by RobThePCGuy in RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator

Search European patents using EPO OPS API (full-text, legal status, families) and BigQuery (100M+ patents, EP filter) for prior art, competitive intelligence, and freedom-to-operate analysis

MITAuto-check passedLegal & Compliance

Install Epo Patent Search

skills CLI
$ npx skills add RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator --skill epo-patent-search -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator epo-patent-search --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/epo-patent-search .claude/skills/epo-patent-search && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
epo-patent-search
GitHub stars
196
Token cost
~1.9k tokens
SKILL.md length
606 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
17
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Search European patents using EPO OPS API (full-text, legal status, families) and BigQuery (100M+ patents, EP filter) for prior art, competitive intelligence, and freedom-to-operate analysis

  • Works in 2 steps: EPO OPS API (European Patent Data) → BigQuery (Worldwide Patents, EP Filter)
  • Tasks that involve Intellectual property
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, What This Skill Does, Required Setup and How to Use, plus 7 more sections
  • Calls gcloud; reaches worldwide.espacenet.com; needs EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_KEY and EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_SECRET

What it does

Epo Patent Search is an agent skill from RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator. Search European patents using EPO OPS API (full-text, legal status, families) and BigQuery (100M+ patents, EP filter) for prior art, competitive intelligence, and freedom-to-operate analysis

Its SKILL.md is about 1.9k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Legal & Compliance, covering Intellectual property. It works with Google BigQuery. The repository describes itself as: USPTO patent creation system with MCP server + Claude Code plugin. Hybrid RAG search over MPEP/USC/CFR, BigQuery access to 76M+ patents, automated 35 USC 112 compliance checks… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Intellectual property

Example prompts

  • “/epo-patent-search”

Requirements

  • Python 3
  • A credential in EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_KEY
  • A credential in EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_SECRET

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. EPO OPS API (European Patent Data)
  2. BigQuery (Worldwide Patents, EP Filter)

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a089731. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • gcloud

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • worldwide.espacenet.com

    Also links to:

    • developers.epo.org

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:

    • EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_KEY
    • EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_SECRET

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Epo Patent Search loads about 1.9k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 52 tokens; SKILL.md has 606 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~52
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.9k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator at commit a089731, republished under its MIT licence (© RobThePCGuy). 606 words, ~1,857 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/epo-patent-search/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
epo-patent-search
description
Search European patents using EPO OPS API (full-text, legal status, families) and BigQuery (100M+ patents, EP filter) for prior art, competitive intelligence, and freedom-to-operate analysis
tools
Bash, Read, Write
model
sonnet

EPO Patent Search Skill

Search European patents using the EPO Open Patent Services (OPS) API and Google BigQuery with EP country filtering.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when users ask to:

  • Search for European patents
  • Find EP prior art for a technology
  • Check legal status of EP patents
  • Explore patent families across jurisdictions
  • Conduct EP freedom-to-operate analysis
  • Research the EP patent landscape for a technology area
  • Get full-text EP claims or descriptions

What This Skill Does

Provides access to European patent data through two methods:

  1. EPO OPS API (European Patent Data):

    • Full-text EP patent retrieval (claims, description)
    • Legal status and procedural history
    • INPADOC patent family linking
    • Applicant and inventor search
    • EP publication types (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2)
    • Designated contracting states
  2. BigQuery (Worldwide Patents, EP Filter):

    • Fast keyword search across 100M+ patents with country="EP"
    • CPC classification search for EP patents
    • Filing trend analysis
    • Cross-jurisdiction comparison

Required Setup

BigQuery (Primary)

Prerequisites:

  1. Google Cloud Project (free to create)
  2. BigQuery API enabled
  3. Application Default Credentials configured

Setup:

bash
gcloud auth application-default login
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=your-project-id

Prerequisites:

  1. Register at https://developers.epo.org/
  2. Create an application to get Consumer Key and Secret
  3. Set environment variables

Setup:

bash
export EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_KEY=your-key
export EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_SECRET=your-secret

How to Use

When this skill is invoked:

  1. Determine search type:

    • Keyword search: use BigQuery with country="EP" for speed
    • Full-text retrieval: use EPO OPS for complete claims/description
    • Legal status: use EPO OPS for procedural data
    • Family search: use EPO OPS INPADOC family service
    • CPC search: use BigQuery for broad classification browsing
  2. Execute search:

    Full-text keyword search (EP patents), falling back to search_patents_bigquery with the same arguments if not configured:

    python
    results = search_patents_google(
        query="blockchain authentication",
        country="EP",
        limit=20,
        start_year=2020
    )

    BigQuery CPC search (EP patents):

    python
    results = search_patents_by_cpc_bigquery(
        cpc_code="H04L9/32",
        country="EP",
        limit=30
    )

    EPO OPS full-text retrieval:

    python
    results = search_epo_patents(
        query="EP3456789",
        search_type="full_text"
    )

    EPO OPS family search:

    python
    results = search_epo_patents(
        query="EP3456789",
        search_type="family"
    )
  3. Present results:

    • Rank by relevance
    • Show key metadata (title, applicant, dates, IPC/CPC)
    • Highlight legal status (in force, expired, opposed)
    • Provide links to Espacenet for full documents
    • Note patent family members in other jurisdictions

Search Result Format

python
{
    "publication_number": "EP3456789A1",
    "title": "Authentication system using distributed ledger",
    "abstract": "A system for authenticating...",
    "applicant": "Example GmbH",
    "inventors": ["Hans Mueller", "Maria Schmidt"],
    "filing_date": "2019-03-15",
    "publication_date": "2020-01-22",
    "grant_date": null,
    "ipc_codes": ["H04L9/32", "G06F21/31"],
    "cpc_codes": ["H04L9/32", "G06F21/31"],
    "designated_states": ["DE", "FR", "GB", "NL", "IT"],
    "priority_claims": ["US16/234567 (2018-12-28)"],
    "family_id": "67890123",
    "legal_status": "Examination in progress",
    "publication_type": "A1"
}

EP Publication Types

CodeTypeDescription
A1Application + searchPublished EP application with search report
A2Application onlyPublished without search report
A3Search reportSearch report published separately
B1Granted patentPatent specification as granted
B2Amended patentAmended specification after opposition
B3Limited patentPatent after limitation proceedings
Show full SKILL.md (238 more words)Show less

Cross-Jurisdiction Linking

Use family_id to find related patents across jurisdictions:

EP3456789A1 (European application)
├── US10123456B2 (US counterpart)
├── CN112345678A (Chinese counterpart)
├── JP2020-123456A (Japanese counterpart)
└── WO2019/123456A1 (PCT application)

This is essential for:

  • Prior art analysis (one patent may be available in multiple languages)
  • Freedom-to-operate (check where patent is in force)
  • Competitive intelligence (track filing strategy)

Presentation Format

Present search results as:

EP PATENT SEARCH RESULTS
=========================

Query: "blockchain authentication"
Source: BigQuery (EP filter) + EPO OPS
Found: 89 EP patents
Date Range: 2020-2025

[1] EP3456789B1 - Authentication system using distributed ledger
    Applicant: Example GmbH (DE)
    Filed: 2019-03-15 | Granted: 2022-08-10
    IPC: H04L9/32, G06F21/31
    Status: Patent in force (validated in DE, FR, GB)
    Family: US10123456B2, CN112345678B, WO2019/123456A1
    Espacenet: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=EP3456789

[2] EP3567890A1 - Blockchain-based identity verification method
    Applicant: Tech Corp (US)
    Filed: 2020-01-10 | Published: 2021-06-16
    IPC: H04L9/00, G06Q20/38
    Status: Examination in progress
    Family: US20210203456A1, WO2020/234567A1

---

Top CPC Codes in Results:
- H04L9/32 (15 patents): Authentication/verification
- G06F21/31 (12 patents): User authentication
- H04L9/00 (8 patents): Cryptographic mechanisms

Common Use Cases

  1. BigQuery keyword search (country="EP")
  2. Identify relevant CPC codes
  3. BigQuery CPC search (country="EP")
  4. EPO OPS full-text for top results
  5. Document findings with citations
Patent Family Analysis
  1. Find EP patent via BigQuery or EPO OPS
  2. Get family_id
  3. Search for family members worldwide
  4. Map filing strategy across jurisdictions
  5. Check legal status in each country
EP Freedom-to-Operate
  1. Search EP patents in relevant technology
  2. Filter for granted patents (B1/B2)
  3. Check legal status (in force vs expired)
  4. Identify validated countries
  5. Assess infringement risk
EP Opposition Research
  1. Find granted EP patents (B1)
  2. Check if within 9-month opposition window
  3. Search for prior art predating priority date
  4. Analyze claims scope
  5. Assess opposition grounds (Art. 100 EPC)

Performance & Coverage

MethodPatentsCoverageSpeedCost
BigQuery (EP)~5M EPEP applications + grants3-4sFree*
EPO OPSAll EPFull text + legal status1-3sFree**

*BigQuery free tier: 1TB queries/month (~20,000 searches) **EPO OPS: Fair use (2.5GB data traffic per week)

Tools Available

  • Bash: To run search scripts
  • Read: To load saved search results
  • Write: To save patent search results

© RobThePCGuy, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/epo-patent-search of RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a089731

Compare with similar skills

Epo Patent Search next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Epo Patent Search compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Epo Patent Search this skillRobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator196—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Uspto Databasejaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills3741 repos~4.6kAutomated safety check: PassCC0-1.0
Paper to Chinese Patent DrafterYuan1z0825/nature-skills47k1 repos~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Paper To Cn Patentsnipp-zha/Paper-to-patent-Skill1071 repos~959Automated safety check: PassNone
Patent Examinegfodor/legal-skills393—~4.8kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Patent Auditgfodor/legal-skills393—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0

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Works with

Questions about Epo Patent Search

What does Epo Patent Search do?

Search European patents using EPO OPS API (full-text, legal status, families) and BigQuery (100M+ patents, EP filter) for prior art, competitive intelligence, and freedom-to-operate analysis. Epo Patent Search is an agent skill from RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator.

When should I use Epo Patent Search?

Epo Patent Search fits situations like: tasks that involve Intellectual property.

How do I install Epo Patent Search in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator --skill epo-patent-search -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/epo-patent-search in RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator) into .claude/skills/epo-patent-search in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Epo Patent Search in Codex?

Run `npx skills add RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator --skill epo-patent-search -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/epo-patent-search in RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator) into .agents/skills/epo-patent-search in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Epo Patent Search in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator --skill epo-patent-search -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/epo-patent-search, .gemini/skills/epo-patent-search, .github/skills/epo-patent-search and .opencode/skills/epo-patent-search in your project.

What does Epo Patent Search need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Epo Patent Search needs the command-line tools its instructions call (gcloud) and credentials named EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_KEY and EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_SECRET. Our summary lists: Python 3; A credential in EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_KEY; A credential in EPO_OPS_CONSUMER_SECRET.

Does Epo Patent Search access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. In commands or code: worldwide.espacenet.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: developers.epo.org. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Epo Patent Search safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Epo Patent Search use?

Epo Patent Search is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Epo Patent Search use?

About 1.9k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Epo Patent Search?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Epo Patent Search: Uspto Database (jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills, 374 stars), Paper to Chinese Patent Drafter (Yuan1z0825/nature-skills, 47k stars), Paper To Cn Patent (snipp-zha/Paper-to-patent-Skill, 107 stars) and Patent Examine (gfodor/legal-skills, 393 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Epo Patent Search?

RobThePCGuy (a GitHub user) maintains it in RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator, which has 196 GitHub stars. The repository holds 17 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

Source: RobThePCGuy/Claude-Patent-Creator on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.