Clerq's Product Features FAQ
Are there ways to send alerts to new patents being issued?
Yes, this part of Clerq Monitor, which is part of the Intelligence Tier. If this is of interest to you contact us at support@clerq-ip.com or your Customer Success Manager.
Does removing a result using the "Hide" button train the AI to refine results?
No, it does not. The button just removes the patent from your search and hides it from the list, but it doesn’t learn from the removal.
Can you manually add prior art? How about non-patent literature (NPL)?
Yes, both can be added to your results in Clerq + be used to refine results. Please check the Manually Adding Prior Art article.
Can we just do keyword search?
Yes, when you start a project, simply select the “Keyword Only” option. See more on keyword searches here.
Can I search for patents by excluding concepts?
Excluding specific inventive concepts is not a function of Clerq at the moment. However, you can use the NOT function in the keyword filter to exclude specific keywords from your list.
Which patent jurisdictions do you support?
We support a variety of jurisdictions including: WIPO, USPTO, Canada, EPO, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, UK, France, China, Japan, Korea, India, Brazil, Argentina, Israel, and more. You can see the full list of jurisdictions we cover on our Data Coverage page.
Why do I have less than 100 patent results when I put the maximum search result as 100?
When you conduct a search in Clerq, you have the ability to chose what you want the maximum search number to be. By default, this is 100. However, as we search 100 of the most similar patents, anything that is in the same family is group together. Hence, it is normal if you have < X number of results.
How often is your database updated?
Our databases are updated every Saturday.
Do you support different languages?
All non-English originating patents are machine translated into English in the platform, with the option to see the original language. That said, Clerq itself searches using the English language, so the natural language AI search and the Boolean keyword search will only search within the English language specification of patent publications or the machine translations.
Why are there so many patents from X country?
For specific technology areas, certain jurisdictions tend to publish more. (Ex Germany in Automotive, Japan with dyes, China in semiconductors.) Clerq does not put any bias for any jurisdiction over another, so if you are seeing a large number of patents from a specific country in the results, it means they are the patents that are determined as being most relevant. If you are not interested in a specific jurisdiction, you can always remove them in the Jurisdiction Filters.
How do filters work?
When filters are applied (whether they be bulk filters or keyword filters), it limits the patent universe that the AI searches. I.e. it will only search patents that meet a specific criteria such as being part of the USPTO, and containing the word “Semiconductor” anywhere in the document. Hence, when filters are applied it is normal to see the “number of searched patents” to shrink. For a more detailed explanation, check the Understanding your results page.
How do I include synonyms?
No need! Our AI understands natural language in a way that a human does- i.e. looks for synonyms when searching. However, ensure that you give the AI enough context when using a Natural Language Search- see our Best Practices for Natural Language Search Article.
How does Relevance Analysis work? Does it Hallucinate?
Relevance Analysis compares the query at hand to a patent document of interest. For patent number searches, it compares the documents feature by feature. For Natural language search, it will point out what features are similar to the query and what features are not. Relevance analysis uses a generative AI, which is different from our Search AI. We use a technique called retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to effectively eliminate hallucinations.
Can I manage users and who gets access to this tool in my organization?
Yes, you can, but only if you are the admin of your organization's Clerq account. You can manage users in settings if you are the admin. Please reference this article for managing users
Will the AI learn my preferences for my account or for each search project?
Every time you start a new project, the AI is a blank slate. Any refinements that you do within the project will be kept constricted within that project. There is no communication from project to project both within a user’s account but also between users.
Is there a word limit for the invention disclosure query?
Yes, there is a word limit of 600 words for text prompts in Clerq. This limitation is associated with the capacity of our model. To achieve the best outcomes, please read our best practices for Natural Language query article.
Can we bypass the 600-word query limit?
The 600-word limit is a technical limitation related to the model's token capacity. Please refer to our best practices for Natural Language search article.
One workaround is you can add manually more free-form text data to your saved results to help the AI refine your search using the “Add Non-Patent Literature” feature.
Does Clerq Search Non-Patent Literature (NPL)?
Yes, we do search NPL but only for those on the Intelligence Plan of Clerq. For more information, please contact your Customer Success Manager.
Does Clerq Contain Design patents?
Clerq only contains utility patents, and does not contain design patents.
Why can entire patents be used as inputs, but there’s a 600-word limit for description queries?
Inputting an entire patent as a query is a different process from using free-form text. Clerq's database already contains representations of each patent's conceptual "meaning." When processing a patent document, the AI processes individual sections and combines the outputs to generate a comprehensive representation of the entire patent.
This enables efficient retrieval of relevant patent documents to any query. It's important to understand that this process is distinct from using free-text queries, where the 600-word limit applies. For patent-specific searches, users can provide patent numbers, allowing Clerq to analyze and retrieve relevant documents in a different manner.
Can I compare the contents of two patents?
Yes, you can do this using the Ask Clerq Feature by asking a question like "Compare this with Patent USXXXXXXXXB1"