Try it on Claude Free Version! Patent Specification Reference Sign Checker

🎯Why We Chose Reference Sign Checking

Patent specification reference sign checking involves verifying that reference signs in drawings (10, 11, 12, etc.) match their descriptions in the specification.

• Reference sign “25” appears in drawings but isn’t explained in the specification
• The specification mentions “connecting member 30” but there’s no “30” in the drawings

Such inconsistencies are surprisingly easy to overlook and can hinder examiner understanding.

Since this involves “extraction,” “comparison,” and “listing” tasks that AI excels at, we expected it to work well even on the free version.

⏱️Development Process: From Idea to Implementation

It Started with a Lunch Break Idea

“Translation checking might be too complex, but reference sign checking could be achievable even with Claude.ai free version, right?”

This thought came to me during lunch, and I started chatting with Claude.ai during my afternoon break.

Build-as-You-Go Development Style

Me: "I want to do patent specification reference sign checking with a prompt chain"

Claude: "I suggest a step-by-step approach..."

No special knowledge was required. I simply explained the everyday work challenges and said “I’d like to try this step-by-step.”

From Dialogue to Implementation and Improvement

• 5-stage structure
• Verification points for each stage
• Specific prompt text

The basic template was completed quickly through AI dialogue. Later, through actual testing, we added features like 2-stage processing in Stage 3 and error detection capabilities, evolving it into a more practical tool.

🔧Free Version Testing: Works Well with Some Ingenuity

Materials Used for Testing

We tested using randomly selected international publication No. WO 2020/088409 A1 (international application No. PCT/CN2019/113704) and its national phase data processed for this purpose.

Actual Operation

Usage is Very Simple:

1. Open a new Claude.ai chat
2. Drop 4 files into the first box:
   • Prompt chain template (.md)
   • Reference sign check specification (.txt)
   • Sample FIG.1 (.png)
   • Sample FIG.2 (.png)
3. Instruct: “Please perform specification reference sign checking using the prompt chain template”

Then, at the end of each stage:

• Type “Yes” to proceed to the next stage
• Describe any issues if problems arise

That’s it! The 5-stage reference sign check will execute sequentially.

It worked even without using Project Knowledge – simply copying and pasting the template was sufficient.

💡Experience the “Movement” of Prompt Chains

5-Stage Structure

1. Reference Sign Extraction from Drawings: Read all signs from the drawings
2. Hierarchical Relationship Analysis: Organize parent-child relationships between signs
3. Reference Sign Extraction from Specification: Paragraph-by-paragraph scanning and occurrence counting (2-stage method)
4. Cross-checking Drawings and Specification: Detect inconsistencies and errors
5. Comprehensive Report Creation: Summary of issues and correction proposals

Peace of Mind Through Step-by-Step Progress

Rather than processing everything at once, you can verify at each stage:

• “Does the sign extraction look correct?”
• “Is the hierarchical relationship interpretation appropriate?”
• “Are there any oversights in the cross-checking results?”

If problems arise, you can give correction instructions mid-process, making you feel the sense of collaborating with AI.

⚠️Usage Precautions

Handling Confidential Information

• We recommend testing with published patent documents
• Exercise caution when handling unpublished invention content
• Please check the terms of use for each AI service

Organizational Use

• Please check your company/firm’s IT usage policies
• If AI usage guidelines exist, please follow them

Result Interpretation

• Use AI analysis results as reference information
• Always have humans make final technical judgments
• Expert verification recommended for important cases

📝Summary

The patent specification reference sign checker proved to be ideal subject matter for experiencing the movement of prompt chains.

Simple: Basic tasks of sign extraction and comparison
Practical: Functional including error detection
Free Version Compatible: Achieves good performance with ingenuity
Educational: Experience the value of step-by-step collaboration

While not a perfect tool, it’s effective as an entry point for learning new collaborative methods with AI.

If you’re interested, please try it with published patent documents. You’ll surely discover “AI can do this too!”

This article is based on information as of July 11, 2025.
Development Cooperation: This template was developed and improved through dialogue with generative AI (Claude).