Patent Filings

Patent filings reveal companies actively investing in innovation. When a company files patents related to your product category, it signals R&D investment and potential interest in complementary solutions.

Why This Insight Matters

Innovation signal — Patent activity indicates active R&D investment
Category relevance — Filings in your space suggest alignment with their priorities
Timing — New filings often coincide with budget allocation and strategic initiatives
Credibility hook — Referencing their innovation shows deep research

Available Subtypes

Signal	Subtype Enum	Description
New core patent	`newCorePatent`	New patent in core product area
Core convergence	`coreConvergence`	Clustering in specific technology area
Intentional expansion	`intentionalExpansion`	New areas outside core business
IP moat	`ipMoat`	Strategic patent positioning
Productization	`productization`	Research to product shift

Response Fields

Patent filing signals follow the base signal schema with patent-specific fields in the data object.

Core Signal Fields

Field	Type	Example	Description
`signal_id`	string	`"acdd8c6815d3de2b"`	Unique signal identifier
`signal_type`	string	`"patent-filing"`	Signal type identifier
`signal_subtype`	string	`"newCorePatent"`	Signal subtype (see above)
`signal_name`	string	`"Walmart's 9 new patents signal major investment in AI..."`	Concise headline describing the patent activity
`detected_at`	string (ISO 8601)	`"2026-01-02T23:07:14.768479Z"`	When the signal was detected
`association`	string	`"company"`	Always `"company"` for patent signals

Company Object

Field	Type	Example	Description
`name`	string	`"Walmart Inc."`	Company name
`domain`	string	`"corporate.walmart.com"`	Primary website domain
`linkedin_url`	string \| null	`"linkedin.com/company/walmart"`	LinkedIn company page URL
`industries`	array[string]	`["Discount Stores"]`	Industry classifications

Data Object

Patent-specific fields in the data object:

Field	Type	Example	Description
`detail`	string	`"Walmart's recent patent filings reveal..."`	Detailed explanation of the patent activity and its significance
`relevance`	float	`0.9`	Business relevance score (0.0-1.0)
`confidence`	string	`"high"`	Confidence level: `"high"`, `"medium"`, or `"low"`
`source_url`	string	`"https://assignment.uspto.gov/patent/..."`	Link to USPTO patent search or assignment page
`tech_areas`	array[string]	`["AI/ML For Optimization", "Supply Chain Management"]`	Technology areas covered by the patents
`uspto_assignee`	string	`"Walmart Apollo, LLC"`	Patent assignee name as recorded in USPTO
`patent_count_recent`	integer	`9`	Number of recent patents filed
`newest_patent_date`	string (ISO 8601)	`"2025-12-30T00:00:00Z"`	Date of the most recent patent (ISO 8601 format)

Full JSON Response Example

{
  "signal_id": "acdd8c6815d3de2b",
  "signal_type": "patent-filing",
  "signal_subtype": "newCorePatent",
  "signal_name": "Walmart's 9 new patents signal major investment in AI for supply chain, store ops, and personalization",
  "detected_at": "2026-01-02T23:07:14.768479Z",
  "association": "company",
  "company": {
    "name": "Walmart Inc.",
    "domain": "corporate.walmart.com",
    "linkedin_url": null,
    "industries": [
      "Discount Stores"
    ]
  },
  "data": {
    "confidence": "high",
    "detail": "Walmart's recent patent filings reveal a significant strategic focus on leveraging advanced AI and optimization techniques across its core retail operations. Patents cover areas from large-scale supply chain forecasting and inventory management to in-store merchandise arrangement and personalized customer recommendations. This indicates a substantial investment in enhancing operational efficiency and improving the omnichannel shopping experience.",
    "newest_patent_date": "2025-12-30T00:00:00Z",
    "patent_count_recent": 9,
    "relevance": 0.9,
    "source_url": "https://assignment.uspto.gov/patent/index.html#/patent/search/result?searchInput=Walmart%20Apollo,%20LLC",
    "tech_areas": [
      "AI/ML For Optimization",
      "Supply Chain Management",
      "Inventory Management",
      "Retail Automation",
      "Customer Personalization"
    ],
    "uspto_assignee": "Walmart Apollo, LLC"
  }
}

API Usage

Generate Content API

{
  "enabledInsights": ["newCorePatent", "intentionalExpansion", "ipMoat"],
  "disabledInsights": []
}

Generate Insights API

{
  "insightSubtype": "intentionalExpansion"
}

Example Output

"Saw your recent patents on optical chip connections—impressive move into AI datacenter infrastructure. We're working on similar high-speed connectivity challenges and would love to share how we're approaching the problem. Worth a quick chat?"

Coverage

Refresh: Monthly
Coverage: 1-5% of companies (requires public patent filings)
Best for: Enterprise sales, technology companies, R&D-focused prospects