[ search · endpoint ]Search API · Patents

Patent Search API

Query global patent filings by keyword, technology area, or assignee. Pre-shaped JSON for prior-art search, IP landscaping, and AI-driven R&D analysis.

●80 credits / call●30 req / minPOST /api/search/patents

[ 01 · live ]

Try Patent Search Live

Enter your API key and run a real query against the live endpoint.

auth · x-api-key

API Key

Don't have an API key?

[ 02 · integrate ]

Integration guide

Copy a snippet, replace your API key, run. Works in any HTTP client — examples below in cURL, JavaScript, and Python.

spec

POST/api/search/patents

base

https://www.apipick.com

Semantic search across global patent filings. Returns titles, abstracts, and source URLs ready for downstream LLMs.

parameters

querystringrequired

Natural-language search query

max_num_resultsintegeroptional

1–5, default 5

relevance_thresholdnumberoptional

0.0–1.0 quality filter

country_codestringoptional

ISO country code (e.g. US, GB)

start_datestringoptional

ISO date YYYY-MM-DD

end_datestringoptional

ISO date YYYY-MM-DD

curl -X POST "https://www.apipick.com/api/search/patents" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
  "query": "Find prior art for neural network training optimization techniques",
  "max_num_results": 5,
  "country_code": "US",
  "start_date": "2026-01-01"
}'

● 200 · response

{
  "query": "Find prior art for neural network training optimization techniques",
  "results": [
    {
      "title": "Example result",
      "url": "https://example.com/article",
      "snippet": "Short excerpt of the page content…",
      "source_type": "web",
      "published_at": "2026-04-15",
      "score": 0.92
    }
  ],
  "result_count": 1,
  "credits_used": 80,
  "remaining_credits": 99
}

[ 03 · limits ]

Rate limits

Throttling is per API key, sliding 60-second window. Hit the limit and you get a clean 429 with a Retry-After header.

request rate

30req/min

Per API key, per endpoint. Sliding 60-second window.

concurrency

3concurrent

Max simultaneous in-flight requests per API key.

response headers

X-RateLimit-LimitMaximum requests allowed per minute

X-RateLimit-RemainingRequests remaining in the current window

X-RateLimit-ResetSeconds until the current window resets

Retry-AfterSeconds to wait before retrying (only on 429)

● 429 · too many requests

HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
Retry-After: 12
X-RateLimit-Limit: 30
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 0
X-RateLimit-Reset: 12

{
  "error": "rate_limit_exceeded",
  "message": "Rate limit exceeded: 30 requests/minute per API key. Retry after 12s.",
  "retry_after": 12
}

[ faq ]

Frequently Asked Questions

Which patent offices are covered?

Global filings — USPTO, EPO, WIPO PCT, JPO, KIPO, CNIPA, and major national offices. Search runs across a unified semantic patent index.

Can I filter by assignee or inventor?

Pass them as part of your natural-language query (e.g. assignee:Tesla battery thermal management). The semantic index resolves entity-style filters in the query string.

Date range filtering?

Yes. start_date / end_date in YYYY-MM-DD filter by filing or publication date.

How does pricing compare to direct USPTO search?

USPTO's public search is free but keyword-only and has no semantic ranking. This API runs cross-jurisdiction semantic search at 80 credits per call (≈ $0.08 user cost) — useful when you need ranked, LLM-ready results.

Tool schema?

GET /api/search/patents/tool-schema returns OpenAI function and Claude tool-use definitions.