About PatentlyPlain
PatentlyPlain is a free patent search tool built for regular people. Patents are public documents, but they're written in dense legal language that makes them nearly impossible for non-experts to understand. We're changing that.
What we do
When you search on PatentlyPlain, you describe what you're looking for in everyday language. Our AI analyzes your query to identify the right technical terms, synonyms, and patent classification codes, then searches public patent databases to find relevant results.
For each patent, we provide two views side by side: a plain-English summary generated by AI that explains what the patent does and why it matters, and the original legal claims text so you can always see the source material.
Who it's for
- Inventors checking if their idea already exists
- Entrepreneurs researching the competitive landscape
- Students and researchers exploring prior art
- Anyone curious about what's been patented
How it works
You describe what you're looking for
Type a plain-English description. Something like "device that charges phones using solar power" works great.
AI expands your query
We use Claude AI to extract technical keywords, identify synonyms, and suggest patent classification codes that match your intent.
We search patent databases
Your expanded query is sent to public patent data sources to find the most relevant results.
You get human-readable results
Each patent result includes an AI-generated plain-English summary alongside the original legal text.
Important notes
This is not legal advice. PatentlyPlain is an information tool. AI-generated summaries are for general understanding only and may contain errors. Always consult a patent attorney for legal decisions.
Patent data comes from public sources. We search publicly available patent databases. We don't store or mirror patent data ourselves.
Summaries are AI-generated. We use Anthropic's Claude AI to create plain-English summaries. While we strive for accuracy, AI can misinterpret complex technical and legal language.