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. For granted patents and concepts, the Validity page runs the same search to test invalidity.
Key Capabilities
Automated reference discovery — ArcPrime searches patent and non-patent literature to identify references relevant to your disclosure's claims.
Automatic runs — In eligible workspaces, the search starts on its own once ArcPrime generates claims for a submitted disclosure. There is no setting to manage and no units are charged.
Element-by-element mapping — Each claim element is mapped against every reference, showing which elements are taught and which are novel.
Risk assessment — An overall Prior Art Risk level of Low, Medium, or High summarizes how much of your claim landscape is covered.
Search-informed claims — ArcPrime suggests amended claims that account for the discovered prior art, with inline differences from the original.
Your own steering — Before a search, you can edit the independent claims and add a custom instruction to focus the search.
Validity checks on patents — The Validity page runs an invalidity search on any patent number or concept and keeps a history of reports.
How It Works
Open a disclosure and select the Prior Art Search tab. Click Start to open the Prior Art Search window, where you can adjust the claims and add an instruction, then click Search Prior Art. The window states the search may take 1-2 hours, and ArcPrime notifies you when it completes.
In eligible workspaces you may not need to click anything. Shortly after a submitted disclosure's claims are generated, the tab shows Searching for Prior Art on its own.
Once complete, the report shows three sections. Prior Art Risk gives the overall level. Element Mapping lists each claim element with one column per reference, sorted so the most-covered reference comes first. Search Informed Claim shows the suggested amendments.
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 |
Invalidity assessment | Run the Validity search on a competitor's patent or on a concept to find references dated before its priority date |
Getting Started
To run your first search, see How to Run a Prior Art Search. To understand the results, read How to Interpret Prior Art Search Results. To test a granted patent, see Running a Patent Invalidity Search.
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 starting a search
How to Interpret Prior Art Search Results — Understanding element mapping, risk levels, and search-informed claims
Running a Patent Invalidity Search — Search prior art against a granted patent or a concept
How Invention Disclosures Work in ArcPrime — Where prior art search fits in the disclosure workflow