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PatentCliff

Our Methodology

PatentCliff makes US patent portfolios searchable so entrepreneurs, investors, and IP professionals can understand who owns key technologies and when patents expire. We use official USPTO data to track patent holdings, expiration timelines, and technology focus areas.

Data Sources

Our primary data source is the USPTO PatentsView API (developer.uspto.gov/api-catalog/patentsview), a free public API that provides structured access to US patent data. PatentsView is maintained by the USPTO and updated weekly with new patent grants.

Key data points include: patent assignee (owner), grant date, expiration date, technology classification (CPC codes), number of claims, and patent family relationships.

How We Calculate the Patent Strength Score

Every company receives a Patent Strength Score on a 0-100 scale (A-F) that benchmarks the quality and breadth of their patent portfolio:

  • Portfolio Size — 30% weight. The total number of active (non-expired) US patents held by the assignee. While quantity alone does not determine quality, larger portfolios provide broader IP protection and more licensing revenue potential.
  • Claims Breadth — 25% weight. The average number of claims per patent. Patents with more claims generally cover a broader scope of protection. We normalize against the average for the patent's technology classification.
  • Time Remaining — 25% weight. The average number of years until expiration across the active portfolio. Companies with many patents nearing expiration face a "patent cliff" — the loss of exclusivity that can dramatically impact revenue, especially in pharmaceuticals.
  • Portfolio Diversity — 20% weight. The number of unique CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) technology classes represented. A diverse portfolio across multiple technology areas provides broader competitive moats and cross-licensing leverage.

Patent Expiration Tracking

US utility patents generally expire 20 years from the filing date. However, patent term adjustments (PTAs), patent term extensions (PTEs, common for drugs), and maintenance fee failures can alter the actual expiration date. We calculate expiration dates using the grant date, filing date, and any recorded adjustments.

Data Collection Process

We query the PatentsView API for patent grants by assignee, aggregate to the company level (normalizing assignee names across subsidiaries), and classify technology areas using CPC codes. Drug patent data is cross-referenced with FDA Orange Book listings for pharmaceutical-specific analysis.

Update Frequency

USPTO grants new patents weekly (every Tuesday). PatentsView data is updated weekly to reflect new grants. We refresh our database weekly to maintain current portfolio counts and expiration timelines.

Known Limitations

  • Patent portfolio data only reflects granted US patents. Pending applications, foreign patents, and trade secrets are not included.
  • Patent value varies enormously — a single foundational patent may be worth more than thousands of incremental patents. Our scoring treats all patents equally.
  • Assignee normalization is imperfect. Large companies may hold patents through multiple subsidiaries, acquired entities, or individual inventor assignments.
  • Maintenance fee status (whether renewal fees have been paid) is not always current, meaning some expired-for-nonpayment patents may appear as active.
  • The Patent Strength Score is our own composite metric, not a USPTO designation.

How to Cite This Data

If you use data from PatentCliff, please cite:

PatentCliff. "[Company Name] Patent Portfolio Data." patentcliff.org, 2026. Accessed [date].

Underlying data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView API and is in the public domain.