📝 Continued from the previous article
This article is a practical implementation guide following “MCP Server Setup Guide – Compiled with Claude!”
While the previous article covered technical setup, this one demonstrates practical application in actual work.
This guide is based on actual search results for EP1000000.
How much time do you spend on patent family searches?
Patent family searches are one of the frequent tasks for outbound-patent engineers. Understanding the patent status across different countries is necessary in various situations.
Manual searches take a certain amount of time, but we’ve confirmed that combining Claude Desktop with Espacenet can streamline this process.
🌍Espacenet: Comprehensive Patent Family Search Tool
Espacenet is an INPADOC family database that integrates patent office data from around the world. It’s the standard tool for patent family searches that every outbound-patent engineer knows.
Why Espacenet is Suitable
- Data Integration Power: Centralized management of worldwide patent office data
- Family Search: Comprehensive display of INPADOC families
- Free Access: Public database available to everyone
- Multilingual Support: Multilingual access through machine translation
📊Proven Use Case: EP1000000 Search
Here are the actual results from searching patent family information for EP1000000.
Actual Instruction
“Search for EP1000000 in Espacenet and investigate the patent family information in detail.”
Execution Results
- ✅ Automatic search execution – Found EP1000000A1 in Espacenet
- ✅ Patent family retrieval – Identified 5 family members
- ✅ Detailed data extraction – Both Simple Family and INPADOC Family
- ✅ Screenshot capture – Evidence of search results
Search time: Completed in about 3 minutes (Significantly reduced compared to manual search)
Retrieved Patent Family Information
| Patent Number | Country/Region | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATE232441T1 | Austria | 2003-02-15 | VORRICHTUNG ZUR HERSTELLUNG VON STEINFORMLINGEN FÜR DIE ZIEGELINDUSTRIE |
| EP1000000A1 | European Patent | 2000-05-17 | Apparatus for manufacturing green bricks for the brick manufacturing industry |
| EP1000000B1 | European Patent | 2003-02-12 | Apparatus for manufacturing green bricks for the brick manufacturing industry |
| NL1010536C2 | Netherlands | 2000-05-15 | Inrichting voor het vervaardigen van vormlingen voor de steenindustrie |
| US6093011A | United States | 2000-07-25 | Apparatus for manufacturing green bricks for the brick manufacturing industry |
🚀How to Use Espacenet Search
Step 1: Launch Claude Desktop
Launch Claude Desktop that you configured in the previous article.
Step 2: Give Instructions in Natural Language
Basic patent family search:
"Search for EP1234567 in Espacenet and provide the patent family information.
Include the patent status and technical field in a table format."Batch search for multiple patents:
"Search for patent families in Espacenet for the following patents:
US8123456, EP2345678, CN101234567
Summarize the patent status in major countries in table format."Step 3: Claude Executes Automatically
- ✅ Executes search in Espacenet
- 📊 Retrieves patent family information
- 🔍 Confirms patent status
- 📄 Organizes results in table format
- 📸 Saves screenshots (Search evidence)
🛠️Initial Setup (July 2025 Update)
🆕 July 2025 Update: Recommended Playwright MCP
We now recommend using Microsoft’s official Playwright MCP for better stability and support:
- Microsoft Official:
@playwright/mcp@latest(recommended)
💡 Simple setup with Google Chrome
The procedures in this article work with the Microsoft official version.
Claude Desktop Configuration
{
"mcpServers": {
"playwright": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@playwright/mcp@latest"]
}
}
}
🌍Other Patent Office Databases (Supplementary Use)
After basic searches in Espacenet, you can check details in individual country databases as needed.
J-PlatPat (Japan)
Use case: Detailed analysis of Japanese applications
"Search for JP2023-123456 in J-PlatPat and investigate
the prosecution history and cited references in detail."USPTO Patent Center (United States)
Use case: Detailed US prosecution history
Note: Manual download recommended for PDFs
🔧Troubleshooting
Issue 1: “Playwright browser is not installed”
Solution:
- Make sure Google Chrome is installed
- Restart Claude Desktop
- If the issue persists, reinstall Claude Desktop
Issue 2: Error with specific database
Solution:
- Report to Claude: “I got an error with XX database”
- Request search using alternative database
- Retry after some time
📚 Next Article: Application in Document Creation
After patent family searches, I’ll share a prompt chain template for Japanese-to-English translation review, created from actual practice experience.
▶️ Continue to “J-E Translation Review Prompt Chain by an Outbound-Patent Engineer”
Disclaimer
- Settings may work differently depending on company policies
- Please test in a test environment before implementing in actual work
