Workflow
When this skill triggers, follow these steps in order.
Step 1 — Receive the Invention Disclosure
Accept a plain-text or Markdown invention disclosure from the user. The disclosure should describe:
- The problem being solved
- The novel technical features of the invention
- Key components or steps of the system or method
If the user has not provided a disclosure, ask:
"Please paste or upload your invention disclosure. Describe the problem, the novel features of your invention, and the key components or steps involved."
Save the disclosure to a temporary file, e.g. disclosure.md.
Step 2 — Retrieve Prior Art via BM25
Run the dependency-free BM25 retriever over the committed prior-art corpus:
node scripts/retrieve.mjs resources/prior-art/ disclosure.md 3
The retriever:
- Tokenizes the disclosure and each corpus document
- Scores documents using the BM25 formula (k1=1.5, b=0.75)
- Returns the top-K files with scores and matched terms as JSON
Capture the JSON output. If the process exits non-zero, report the stderr message to the user and stop.
Inspect the top results. For each, note:
- The filename (maps to a prior-art reference)
- The BM25 score (higher = more relevant)
- The matched terms (shows which disclosure concepts overlap with prior art)
Step 3 — Draft Background and Claims
Run the scaffold assembler with the disclosure and retrieval results:
node scripts/draft.mjs disclosure.md retrieval.json draft.md
The assembler produces a Markdown file containing:
- Background — situates the invention against the retrieved prior art, citing each reference with its BM25 score and matched terms, followed by a verbatim excerpt of the disclosure.
- Claim 1 (Independent) — a system claim listing the key features extracted from the disclosure, in proper patent-claim format ("A system comprising… wherein…").
- Claim 2 (Dependent) — a dependent claim referencing claim 1 and adding a communication interface feature.
Present the drafted sections to the user for review.
Step 4 — Flag Novelty Risks
Review the matched terms between the disclosure and the top retrieved prior art. For each prior art reference:
- Identify which disclosure features are already described in the prior art (potential novelty risks)
- Highlight features that appear only in the disclosure and not in any retrieved reference (potential novel aspects)
- Recommend that the user consult a registered patent attorney to evaluate patentability
Use this format:
Prior Art: [PA-1] <filename>
Overlapping features: <list matched terms>
Novelty risk: <brief assessment>
Novel aspects not found in retrieved prior art:
- <feature A>
- <feature B>
Example
See examples/input.md for a worked invention disclosure (smart umbrella with on-device rain prediction) and examples/output.md for the corresponding Background, Claims, and retrieval detail produced by the engine.
Run the example yourself from the skill root:
cd skills/stilta-patent-drafter
bash examples/run.sh
Important Disclaimer
This skill produces a structural scaffold for review purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not constitute a filed patent application. Patent claims require review and refinement by a registered patent attorney or agent before filing with any patent office.