name: bigquery-patent-search
description: Fast, cloud-based patent searching across 76 million+ worldwide patents using Google BigQuery - keyword search, CPC classification, patent details retrieval
tools: Bash, Read, Write
model: sonnet

BigQuery Patent Search Skill

Fast, cloud-based patent searching across 76 million+ worldwide patents using Google BigQuery.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when users ask to:
- Search for prior art patents
- Find patents in a specific technology area
- Search by CPC classification code
- Look up patent details by publication number
- Conduct freedom-to-operate searches
- Research patent landscapes

What This Skill Does

Provides access to Google's public patent dataset:

1. Keyword Search across 76M+ patents:
2. Full-text search of titles, abstracts, claims
3. Filter by country (US, EP, JP, CN, etc.)
4. Filter by filing/grant date ranges

5. Fast cloud-based queries (< 5 seconds)

6. CPC Classification Search:

7. Search by CPC code (e.g., "G06F16/", "H04L29/06")
8. Browse patent classifications

9. Find patents in specific technical domains

10. Patent Details Retrieval:

11. Get full patent text by publication number
12. Access title, abstract, claims, description
13. View CPC codes, inventors, assignees
14. See filing and grant dates

Required Setup

This skill requires Google Cloud authentication:

Prerequisites:
1. Google Cloud Project (free to create)
2. BigQuery API enabled (free for reasonable usage)
3. Application Default Credentials configured

Setup Commands:

# Install Google Cloud SDK (if not installed)
# Visit: https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install

# Authenticate
gcloud auth application-default login

# Set project (get ID from console.cloud.google.com)
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=your-project-id

Environment Variable:
Set in .env file: GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=your-project-id

How to Use

When this skill is invoked:

1. Initialize BigQuery searcher:
   ```python
   import sys
   sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.environ.get('CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT', '.'), 'python'))
   from python.bigquery_search import BigQueryPatentSearch

searcher = BigQueryPatentSearch()
```

1. Search by keywords:
   python results = searcher.search_patents( query="blockchain authentication", limit=20, country="US", # Optional: filter by country start_year=2020, # Optional: filter by year end_year=2024 )

2. Search by CPC code:
   python results = searcher.search_by_cpc( cpc_code="G06F16/", # CPC prefix limit=20, country="US" )

3. Get patent details:
   python patent = searcher.get_patent( patent_number="US10123456B2" # Publication number )

BigQuery Dataset

Uses patents-public-data.patents on Google BigQuery:
- 76M+ worldwide patents
- 12M+ US patents with full text
- Updated weekly
- Free to query (no billing for reasonable usage)

Search Result Format

Each result includes:

{
    "publication_number": "US10123456B2",
    "title": "Method and system for...",
    "abstract": "A system for...",
    "filing_date": "2019-01-15",
    "grant_date": "2020-06-30",
    "country": "US",
    "cpc_codes": ["G06F16/245", "H04L29/06"],
    "inventors": ["John Doe", "Jane Smith"],
    "assignee": "Example Corp"
}

Full patent details also include:
- claims: Full text of all claims
- description: Complete description section
- priority_date: Earliest priority date
- family_id: Patent family ID

Presentation Format

Present search results as:

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

Query: "blockchain authentication"
Found: 247 patents (showing top 20)
Date Range: 2020-2024
Country: US

[1] US10123456B2 - System for blockchain-based authentication
    Assignee: Example Corp
    Filed: 2019-01-15 | Granted: 2020-06-30
    CPC: G06F16/245, H04L29/06

    Abstract: A system for authenticating users using blockchain
    technology with distributed ledger verification...

[2] US10234567B1 - Method of secure authentication using blockchain
    ...

---

Top 5 Most Relevant:
1. US10123456B2 (95% relevance)
2. US10234567B1 (92% relevance)
...

Advanced Search Techniques

1. Boolean Operators in queries:
2. "blockchain AND authentication"
3. "encryption OR cryptography"

4. "(mobile OR wireless) AND security"

5. Phrase Search:

6. "distributed ledger technology"

7. "public key infrastructure"

8. CPC Code Hierarchies:

9. "G06F" = Computing
10. "G06F16/" = Information retrieval
11. "G06F16/245" = Structured query language

Common CPC Codes

• G06F: Computing, calculating, counting
• H04L: Digital communication
• G06Q: Business methods
• H04W: Wireless communication
• G06N: Computer systems based on specific models
• G06T: Image processing

Error Handling

If BigQuery is not configured:
1. Check if google-cloud-bigquery is installed
2. Verify authentication: gcloud auth application-default login
3. Confirm project ID in environment: GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT
4. Test with: python scripts/test_bigquery.py

Cost Considerations

BigQuery pricing:
- First 1TB/month: FREE
- After 1TB: $5 per TB queried
- Typical query: 10-50 MB per search
- ~20,000 searches free per month

Tools Available

• Bash: To run Python BigQuery searches
• Read: To load saved search results
• Write: To save patent search results
• Grep: To search through saved results