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USPTO United States (US) — national
Layer national
Jurisdiction US (WIPO ST.3: US)
Issuing body United States Patent and Trademark Office (an agency of the Department of Commerce)
Rights administered patent, trademark, design_patent (designs are handled as design patents in the US — different mechanism than other jurisdictions)
Working languages English
Connector status active (deepest connector in the catalog)
Last verified 2026-05-16

Manifest entries:

  • US/USPTO/ODP/Applications — patent_client_agents.uspto_odp
  • US/USPTO/ODP/PTAB — same module
  • US/USPTO/ODP/Petitions — same module
  • US/USPTO/PPUBS — patent_client_agents.uspto_publications
  • US/USPTO/Assignments/Patents — patent_client_agents.uspto_assignments
  • US/USPTO/OfficeActions — patent_client_agents.uspto_office_actions
  • US/USPTO/BulkData — patent_client_agents.uspto_bulkdata
  • US/USPTO/TSDR — patent_client_agents.uspto_tsdr
  • US/USPTO/TMSearch — patent_client_agents.uspto_tmsearch
  • US/USPTO/Assignments/Trademarks — patent_client_agents.uspto_trademark_assignments
  • US/USPTO/MPEP — patent_client_agents.mpep (substantive law)
  • US/USPTO/TMEP — patent_client_agents.tmep (substantive law)

Detail surveys:

  • Substantial existing knowledge across the connector codebase
  • USPTO Applications (uspto_odp / uspto_applications) is the canonical §5.9 envelope template — see src/patent_client_agents/mcp/tools/uspto.py

Higher / sibling layers carrying overlapping data:

  • EPO INPADOC — US patent biblio is in DOCDB, but USPTO ODP is the authoritative real-time source for US patents and adds prosecution depth INPADOC doesn't carry.
  • Google Patents — covers US patents transitively; useful for prior-art search across foreign patents that USPTO doesn't issue.
  • WIPO PATENTSCOPE — for PCT applications filed at USPTO as receiving office.

Rating: 🟢 Green

Free public APIs across all services; statutory open-data mandate Jump to access details → View on the atlas →

§1 Mission

USPTO is the largest patent office in the world by application volume and the source-of-record for US patents, trademarks, and design patents. US is unusually open about data access — the agency operates under a statutory open-data mandate that makes USPTO the cleanest API surface of any major IP office globally. This is why USPTO is our deepest connector by far: ~10 distinct services covering applications, PPUBS, Assignments, OAs, PTAB, Petitions, TSDR, TM Search, TM Assignments, Bulk Data, plus substantive-law layers (MPEP, TMEP, CAFC opinions, USITC).

If you only proxied one office's data, you'd proxy USPTO.

§2 What's unique here

  • Full prosecution file wrappers (file history, IDS, transactions) via ODP and bulk
  • Real-time application status (vs. INPADOC's lag of weeks-to-months)
  • Office actions full text with structured rejection codes
  • PTAB proceedings (IPR, PGR, CBM, Interference, Appeal decisions)
  • Petitions (revival, extensions, etc.)
  • Patent + trademark assignment history with structured reel/frame
  • TSDR (Trademark Status and Document Retrieval) — TM file history, opposition records
  • TM Search (the modernized USPTO TM search)
  • Design patent register (US handles industrial designs as a class of patent, not as a separate right)

§3 Programmatic surfaces

USPTO Open Data Portal (ODP)

Field Value
Endpoint https://api.uspto.gov/
Auth API key (free; obtained via developer.uspto.gov)
Format JSON
ToS posture Permissive; explicit open-data policy
Verdict 🟢 Green — operational
Primary source USPTO Open Data Portal

Covers applications, PTAB, Petitions in one API.

Field Value
Endpoint https://ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/
Auth none (cookie-based session for advanced features)
Format JSON
Verdict 🟢 Green — operational via patent_client_agents.uspto_publications

USPTO Bulk Data products

Field Value
Endpoint https://developer.uspto.gov/data
Auth API key for catalog browsing
Format various — XML, PDF, CSV per product
Verdict 🟢 Green for catalog navigation; bulk delivery is bulk-shaped (not used for live proxy)

TSDR (Trademark Status & Document Retrieval)

Field Value
Endpoint https://tsdrapi.uspto.gov/ts/
Auth TSDR_API_KEY (free; signup via TSDR portal)
Format JSON / XML / ZIP per request
Verdict 🟢 Green

TM Search (modernized TM register)

Field Value
Endpoint https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/
Auth varies (some endpoints public, some session-based)
Verdict 🟢 Green — operational via patent_client_agents.uspto_tmsearch
Note Egress filtering concern: TESS (predecessor) was blocked from Cloud Run egress. TM Search may have similar filtering — verify per deployment.

§4 Fees

USPTO publishes patent and trademark fee schedules in USD with entity-size tiers (large / small / micro). Patent categories: filing, search, examination, issue, maintenance (years 3.5 / 7.5 / 11.5), RCE, appeal forwarding, and a long list of procedural fees. Trademark categories: application per class (with a base + surcharges structure post-2025), Statement of Use, renewal.

  • Official schedule: USPTO Fee Schedule
  • Consolidated PDF: USPTO-fee-schedule_current.pdf
  • Statutory basis: 35 USC + 37 CFR Part 1 (patents) / 37 CFR Part 2 (trademarks). USPTO fee-setting authority is under §10 of the Patent Act (UAIA); confirm whether that authority is still in force when consulting figures, as it has a statutory sunset.

Discount programs:

  • Small entity — reduced rate on most patent fees (eligibility under 37 CFR 1.27).
  • Micro entity — further-reduced rate (37 CFR 1.29).
  • Trademark TEAS Plus / Standard tiers were retired in the 2025 trademark fee rulemaking; the current model is a base application fee with surcharges (free-text ID, missing info, oversized ID).

(frozen at the date written; consult the official URLs above for current figures).

§5 Access via patent-client-agents

What we cover today

The full USPTO catalog. ~10 distinct connector modules (see manifest entries above). USPTO is the only office where we ship near-complete coverage across applications + publications + assignments + office actions + PTAB + petitions + TM search + TSDR + bulk data catalog + substantive-law layers (MPEP, TMEP).

What we should improve

  • TBMP (Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Manual) — BACKLOG.md US Gap Analysis identifies this as a small new module. Mirrors MPEP/TMEP shape.
  • Design Patent Examiner Guidelines — no formal "MPEP for designs"; consider adding as a small module or extending MPEP to surface design-specific chapters.

Next steps

  1. Update fee logic anywhere it references TEAS Plus/Standard or pre-UAIA (50%/75%) discount tiers — both are stale as of 2025-01-18.
  2. Ship TBMP (~1 day per BACKLOG estimate).
  3. Watch for USPTO Director §10 sunset (2026-09-16) — fee rulemaking cadence may shift.

§6 Known unknowns

  • What happens after §10 sunset? Will Congress reauthorize, or does fee-adjustment revert to formal rulemaking only?
  • Are there post-grant proceedings beyond IPR/PGR/CBM that we don't expose? Worth reviewing PTAB tool scope.
  • TM Search Cloud Run egress — confirmed problematic for TESS predecessor; verify TM Search per deployment.

§7 References

Primary sources only.

APIs:

Fees:

Statutory:

  • 35 USC — patents
  • 37 CFR — patent + trademark regulations

Detail in this repo:

  • src/patent_client_agents/mcp/tools/uspto.py — canonical §5.9 envelope template
  • CONNECTOR_STANDARDS.md — connector contract

Last updated 2026-05-16.