ArcPrime's prior art search identifies relevant references and maps them against your disclosure's claim elements. Use it to assess risk, refine claims, and build a stronger application before filing.
📷 The Prior Art Search tab on a disclosure detail page, showing the Prior Art Risk indicator, Element Mapping table, and Search Informed Claim section
Key Capabilities
Automated reference discovery — ArcPrime searches patent and non-patent literature to identify references relevant to your disclosure's claims.
Element-by-element mapping — Each claim element is mapped against discovered references, showing which elements are taught by prior art and which are novel.
Risk assessment — An overall prior art risk level (Low, Medium, or High) summarizes how much of your claim landscape is covered by existing references.
Search-informed claims — ArcPrime suggests amended claims that account for discovered prior art, highlighting changes from the original claims with inline diffs.
Version history — Run multiple searches over time and compare results across versions to track how your claims evolve.
How It Works
Open a disclosure and select the Prior Art Search tab. Click Search Prior Art to start a new search. The search runs in the background and typically takes 1-2 hours to complete. ArcPrime notifies you when results are ready.
Once complete, the report displays three sections. The Prior Art Risk indicator shows your overall risk level. The Element Mapping table shows each claim element with icons indicating whether each reference teaches that element. The Search Informed Claim section shows suggested claim amendments based on the search results.
📷 The Element Mapping table with column headers for each prior art reference and rows for each claim element, showing green check and red X icons
Common Use Cases
Use Case | How ArcPrime Helps |
Pre-filing risk assessment | Run a search on a new disclosure to identify potential blockers before investing in drafting |
Claim refinement | Review search-informed claims to tighten language around novel elements |
Patentability evaluation | Use the risk level and element mapping to decide whether a disclosure is worth pursuing |
Supporting outside counsel | Share the search report with counsel to accelerate their own analysis |
Getting Started
To run your first search, see How to Run a Prior Art Search. To understand what the results mean, read How to Interpret Prior Art Search Results.
Tip: Run a prior art search before your patent committee review. The risk level and element mapping give the committee objective data for filing decisions.
Related Articles
How to Run a Prior Art Search — Step-by-step instructions for initiating a search
How to Interpret Prior Art Search Results — Understanding element mapping, risk indicators, and search-informed claims
Deep Research Overview — Learn how product-level competitive analysis builds on prior art findings
Patent Detail View — Navigate the full patent record in ArcPrime