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flowleap-ai (@flowleap-ai) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Recipe Freedom To Operate by flowleap-ai

Name: Recipe Freedom To Operate
Author: flowleap-ai

Recipe Freedom To Operate

Freedom-to-operate clearance for a product or technology — per-feature query generation, dual-database blocking-patent search, and legal-status, family, and all-elements claim checks on every live candidate. Trigger when the user asks whether a product or technology can launch without infringing, or requests an FTO/clearance search.

flowleap-ai Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Recipe: Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Search

Search for potentially blocking patents for a product or technology. Each database uses its own query syntax — see flowleap-uspto for the USPTO Lucene grammar.

Steps

Step 1: Write Targeted Searches

Write a query per key product feature, in each database's own syntax, yourself (method in flowleap-patent; ODP Lucene in flowleap-uspto). For each feature: extract its specific noun phrases, build the CQL around the discriminating ones, and probe the count — FTO is a recall search, so refine toward broad (drop classifications, OR in synonyms) rather than precise:

# EPO CQL count probe for feature 1 (read `total` from the payload)
flowleap --json tools run search_patents query='<CQL for feature 1>' range=1-1 details=false
# Repeat for each feature; USPTO Lucene queries are title + metadata only

Done when every key feature has a probed EPO CQL query and a USPTO ODP query.

Step 2: Search for Potentially Blocking Patents

flowleap --json patent search --query "<CQL for feature 1>" --limit 20
flowleap --json uspto search --query "<recommended_query for feature 1>" --limit 20
# Repeat for each feature

A missing patent-data key never narrows a clearance scope. If one office answers provider_keys_required, search the live office fully and carry the gated office into the deliverable as an explicit missing-key gap — an unsearched jurisdiction is not a cleared one, and web-scraped patent data is not an acceptable substitute for it. Ask for the free key at the end of the turn; when the user adds it, re-run only that office and merge. See flowleap-keys.

Done when both databases have been searched for every feature, or the gated office is recorded as an open missing-key gap.

Step 3: Screen to Live, In-Market Candidates

Take the one-call snapshot (bibliography + legal status + family + term) and keep only patents that are legally alive and cover a jurisdiction you sell in:

flowleap --json summary <patent-number>

Or, if you need the pieces separately:

flowleap --json ops legal <patent-number>     # is it active?
flowleap --json ops family <patent-number>    # where is it filed?

Done when every survivor is both in force and filed in a sales jurisdiction; drop the rest.

Step 4: All-Elements Claim Mapping

For each surviving blocker, pull its claims and map product features against every element of each independent claim:

flowleap --json ops claims <patent-number>

A claim clears only if at least one of its elements is absent from the product. Done when every independent claim of every survivor is either cleared (≥1 element absent) or flagged as a live infringement risk.

Output

FTO data package per live blocking patent:

Legal status (active, expired, abandoned) and remaining term
Geographic coverage (family members) against your sales jurisdictions
Per-claim all-elements verdict: cleared or at-risk

If the full skill pack is installed, continue with recipe-infringement-charting to chart the at-risk claims element by element.

---name: recipe-freedom-to-operatedescription: Freedom-to-operate clearance for a product or technology — per-feature query generation, dual-database blocking-patent search, and legal-status, family, and all-elements claim checks on every live candidate. Trigger when the user asks whether a product or technology can launch without infringing, or requests an FTO/clearance search.---# Recipe: Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) SearchSearch for potentially blocking patents for a product or technology. Eachdatabase uses its own query syntax — see `flowleap-uspto` for the USPTO Lucenegrammar.## Steps### Step 1: Write Targeted SearchesWrite a query per key product feature, in each database's own syntax, yourself(method in `flowleap-patent`; ODP Lucene in `flowleap-uspto`). For eachfeature: extract its specific noun phrases, build the CQL around thediscriminating ones, and probe the count — FTO is a recall search, so refinetoward broad (drop classifications, OR in synonyms) rather than precise:```bash# EPO CQL count probe for feature 1 (read `total` from the payload)flowleap --json tools run search_patents query='<CQL for feature 1>' range=1-1 details=false# Repeat for each feature; USPTO Lucene queries are title + metadata only```Done when every key feature has a probed EPO CQL query and a USPTO ODP query.### Step 2: Search for Potentially Blocking Patents```bashflowleap --json patent search --query "<CQL for feature 1>" --limit 20flowleap --json uspto search --query "<recommended_query for feature 1>" --limit 20# Repeat for each feature```**A missing patent-data key never narrows a clearance scope.** If one officeanswers `provider_keys_required`, search the live office fully and carry thegated office into the deliverable as an explicit missing-key gap — anunsearched jurisdiction is not a cleared one, and web-scraped patent data is notan acceptable substitute for it. Ask for the free key at the end of the turn;when the user adds it, re-run only that office and merge. See `flowleap-keys`.Done when both databases have been searched for every feature, or the gatedoffice is recorded as an open missing-key gap.### Step 3: Screen to Live, In-Market CandidatesTake the one-call snapshot (bibliography + legal status + family + term) andkeep only patents that are **legally alive** and cover a **jurisdiction yousell in**:```bashflowleap --json summary <patent-number>```Or, if you need the pieces separately:```bashflowleap --json ops legal <patent-number> # is it active?flowleap --json ops family <patent-number> # where is it filed?```Done when every survivor is both in force and filed in a sales jurisdiction;drop the rest.### Step 4: All-Elements Claim MappingFor each surviving blocker, pull its claims and map product features againstevery element of each independent claim:```bashflowleap --json ops claims <patent-number>```A claim clears only if at least one of its elements is absent from the product.Done when every independent claim of every survivor is either cleared (≥1 elementabsent) or flagged as a live infringement risk.## OutputFTO data package per live blocking patent:- Legal status (active, expired, abandoned) and remaining term- Geographic coverage (family members) against your sales jurisdictions- Per-claim all-elements verdict: cleared or at-riskIf the full skill pack is installed, continue with `recipe-infringement-charting`to chart the at-risk claims element by element.

Frequently asked questions