The family tree gives you an interactive visual map of how the patents in a family are connected. See continuations, divisionals, national phase entries, EP validations, and foreign filings laid out as a diagram, with each patent placed by filing year. Use it to understand coverage, spot gaps, and plan prosecution.
Key Capabilities
Interactive diagram — Scroll or pinch to zoom, drag to pan, and click a node to open that patent. Each node is labelled with the application or publication number rather than the internal docket, alongside the country flag, Filing Date, and Status.
Relationship labels — Edges between nodes name the relationship. Labels include Continuation, Divisional, Continuation in-part, National Stage Entry, PCT National Phase, EP Validation, Paris Convention, and Unitary Patent.
Status icons — A green tick marks active cases, an amber clock pending ones, and a red cross closed ones. A globe marks PCT applications, a document icon linked disclosures, and a question mark an unknown status.
Year-based layout — Patents are arranged along a timeline by filing year, so you can see how the family evolved.
Family comparison — Switch tabs to compare claim concepts and claim elements across family members, with crucial elements highlighted.
Pruning context — During an active pruning cycle, nodes carry a Broadest, Complementary, Narrow, or Sunset badge from the claim analysis.
How It Works
Open a patent and click Family Tree beside Worldwide Applications in the detail view. The family tree page opens on the Family tree diagram tab with every patent in the extended family displayed as a node. The patent you started from carries a This case badge, and the view centres on it.
Hover over a node to see its internal docket number and application, publication, and patent numbers. A search icon on a node indicates that deep research has been completed for it. Click a node to open its detail view.
Click Family comparison at the top of the page to run or review the AI comparison of claims across the family. See How to Compare Claims Across a Patent Family.
Common Use Cases
Use Case | How ArcPrime Helps |
Understand family coverage before filing a continuation | View the tree to see existing filings by country, type, and status |
Brief a colleague on family structure | Share the family tree link for a visual overview |
Identify coverage gaps | Compare claims across family members on the Family comparison tab |
Track foreign filing routes | See PCT National Phase, EP Validation, and Paris Convention edges |
Getting Started
To explore a patent's family tree, see How to View the Family Tree. To add new members to a family, see How to Add a Patent to a Family.
Related Articles
How to View the Family Tree — Navigate and interact with the tree diagram
How to Add a Patent to a Family — Create new relationships within a family
Family Comparison View — Compare claims and elements across family members
Continuation Recommendations Overview — Get AI recommendations on where to file next