Free OpenClaw Skill for Patent Attorneys: Docket, PCT, IDS Agent (Download)

What this skill does for your patent attorneys

• Maintains the office action response docket from USPTO Patent Center: non-final, final, advisory, with the statutory shortened period and the petition-for-extension cliff dates surfaced.
• Tracks every PCT application through the 30-month national phase deadline, with priority-claim chain integrity and ISA/IPRP receipt logged.
• Surfaces RCE (Request for Continued Examination), continuation, divisional, and CIP filing decisions at the right point in prosecution.
• Runs the Information Disclosure Statement submission cadence so prior-art surfaced after filing is submitted within the 3-month / pre-allowance window the MPEP requires.
• Routes every client-facing message through the attorney for approval by default, with the inventor-confidentiality and inventorship-correctness obligations of MPEP 4 and the Patent Rules baked into the templates.

What's inside this OpenClaw skill

The full file you download, indexed below for search engines and for operators who want to read before they install.

---
name: patent-docket-pct-coordinator
description: Patent docket, USPTO office action response cadence, PCT 30-month national phase calendar, RCE timing, and IDS submission for patent attorneys. Integrates with Anaqua, FoundationIP, PatTrax, USPTO Patent Center.
version: 1.0.0
author: OpenClaw Consult (Adhiraj Hangal)
license: MIT
url: https://openclawconsult.com/skills/patent-attorneys
---

# OpenClaw Skill: Patent Docket and PCT National Phase Coordinator

## Overview

This skill turns the OpenClaw agent into the docket and prosecution coordinator
for a patent attorney shop. It owns the office action response docket with
statutory shortened-period and petition-for-extension cliff dates, the PCT
30-month national phase calendar, the RCE / continuation / divisional / CIP
filing decision surfacing, and the Information Disclosure Statement submission
cadence.

It is designed for 1 to 6 patent attorney shops running Anaqua, FoundationIP
(CPi), PatTrax, or a lighter docketing platform. Solo registered practitioners
and mid-size patent boutiques both work.

## What this skill does

1. Office action docket from USPTO Patent Center: non-final, final, advisory, plus the statutory shortened period and petition-for-extension cliff
2. PCT 30-month national phase calendar with priority-claim chain integrity
3. RCE, continuation, divisional, CIP filing decision surfacing at the right prosecution stage
4. Information Disclosure Statement submission queue: foreign prosecution prior art tracked from receipt through filing
5. Annuity / maintenance fee payment schedule (3.5, 7.5, 11.5 year US; foreign annuities tracked via foreign associate confirmations)
6. Inventorship-correctness ledger to catch joint-inventor changes mid-prosecution

## Triggers

```yaml
triggers:
  - type: heartbeat
    schedule: "0 7 * * 1"          # Mondays 7am
    action: office_action_docket_pass

  - type: heartbeat
    schedule: "0 8 * * 1"          # Mondays 8am
    action: pct_national_phase_calendar

  - type: heartbeat
    schedule: "0 9 * * 2"          # Tuesdays 9am
    action: ids_submission_queue

  - type: heartbeat
    schedule: "0 7 1 * *"          # 1st of month 7am
    action: maintenance_fee_pass

  - type: on_event
    event: uspto.office_action_received
    action: enter_response_docket

  - type: on_event
    event: foreign_associate.related_case_oa_received
    action: enter_ids_queue

  - type: on_event
    event: pct.publication_received
    action: schedule_national_phase_outreach
```

## Workflow: office action docket

When an office action is received the agent:

1. Reads the action type (non-final, final, advisory, restriction, Ex parte Quayle)
2. Computes the statutory shortened period (typically 3 months from the mailing date for substantive actions)
3. Computes each petition-for-extension cliff (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 month extensions, with the absolute 6-month statutory bar)
4. Adds the docket entry with all the cliff dates
5. Drafts the client status memo summarizing the rejection types (102 anticipation, 103 obviousness, 101 subject matter eligibility, 112 enablement/written description) without quoting examiner language verbatim into outbound text
6. Routes to the attorney for approval and strategy decision

For final actions the agent surfaces the after-final pathways: amendment under 37 CFR 1.116, AFCP 2.0 if available, RCE, appeal to the PTAB, or abandon.

## Workflow: PCT 30-month national phase

For each PCT application the agent tracks:

- International filing date
- Earliest priority claim date
- 30-month deadline (31 months for some jurisdictions like EP)
- ISA receipt and IPRP status
- Country-selection decisions from the client
- Foreign associate instructions for each selected country

Monday at 8am the agent flags any PCT application within 90, 60, 30 days of the 30-month deadline and drafts the client outreach asking for country selection if not yet received. Standard country bundles (US, EP, JP, CN, KR, IN, AU, CA, BR) are config-driven; the actual decision is the client's.

## Workflow: IDS submission queue

When a related foreign application receives an office action citing new prior art, the agent:

1. Logs the newly-cited references in the IDS queue
2. Computes the submission deadline (within 3 months of receipt, or before payment of issue fee, or with a $260 fee under 37 CFR 1.97(c)(2) within the window, etc.)
3. Drafts the IDS form (USPTO Form SB-08a) for attorney review
4. Routes to the attorney for review and signing

The duty of disclosure under 37 CFR 1.56 is the practitioner's. The skill keeps the queue tight so nothing slips past the window.

## Workflow: RCE / continuation / divisional / CIP decision

At specific prosecution milestones the agent surfaces filing decisions:

- After final rejection: RCE vs appeal vs abandon
- After notice of allowance and before issue fee payment: continuation filing to keep the family open
- After restriction requirement: divisional filing for non-elected claims
- When new matter is being added to support broader claims: CIP filing with the priority-date implications surfaced

The skill flags the decision points; the attorney decides.

## Message templates

```yaml
templates:
  client_office_action_status:
    subject: "Office action received in {application_serial_number}"
    body: |
      Dear {client_first_name},

      We received the {action_type} office action in your {application_title}
      application (Serial No. {application_serial_number}). The examiner
      raised {rejection_count} rejections, summarized below at a high level:

      {high_level_rejection_summary}

      The statutory deadline to respond is {statutory_deadline}. With
      petition-for-extension fees the absolute deadline is
      {final_extended_deadline}.

      I will follow up shortly with our recommended response strategy and
      a fee estimate. If you have specific commercial or filing priorities
      that should shape the strategy, let me know.

      {attorney_first_name}

  pct_national_phase_country_decision:
    subject: "Country selection: PCT {pct_app_number} 30-month deadline {national_phase_deadline}"
    body: |
      Dear {client_first_name},

      Your PCT application {pct_app_number} has a 30-month national phase
      deadline of {national_phase_deadline}. We need to confirm which
      countries you want to enter before then. Our standard bundle for
      patent families in your industry is {standard_country_bundle}.

      Considerations: {country_specific_considerations}

      Could we set up a 30-minute call to confirm? I have time
      {open_slots}.

      {attorney_first_name}

  rce_recommendation_after_final:
    subject: "Recommendation: RCE in {application_serial_number}"
    body: |
      Dear {client_first_name},

      Following the final office action in {application_serial_number}, our
      recommendation is to file a Request for Continued Examination (RCE).
      Reasoning: {rce_reasoning_summary}. Estimated total fees for the RCE
      plus our response: {rce_fee_estimate}.

      The alternative paths (appeal to the PTAB, abandon) are also
      available. RCE is the right call here because {short_rce_rationale}.

      Confirm and we will move.

      {attorney_first_name}

  ids_submission_internal:
    channel: internal_slack
    body: |
      IDS SUBMISSION QUEUE
      Application: {application_serial_number}
      New references from: {foreign_associate_source}
      Reference count: {reference_count}
      Submission deadline (under MPEP 609): {ids_submission_deadline}
      Action: review and sign SB-08a, schedule submission via Patent Center
```

## Memory keys

```yaml
memory:
  - key: pat.application_ledger[{serial_or_pct}]
    description: Master record per application
    schema: { filing_date: date, priority_chain: array, applicant: string, inventors: array, examiner: string, current_action: object }

  - key: pat.oa_docket[{serial_number}]
    description: Office action response docket
    schema: { action_type: string, mailing_date: date, statutory_deadline: date, extension_cliffs: array, strategy_status: string }

  - key: pat.pct_national_phase[{pct_number}]
    description: PCT 30-month deadline and country-selection state
    schema: { pct_filing_date: date, priority_date: date, deadline_30m: date, isa_received: bool, country_decisions: object }

  - key: pat.ids_queue[{application_id}]
    description: References awaiting IDS submission
    schema: { references: array, source: string, deadline: date, sb_08a_status: string }

  - key: pat.maintenance_fee_ledger[{patent_number}]
    description: US 3.5 / 7.5 / 11.5 year maintenance fee tracking
    schema: { patent_number: string, issue_date: date, next_due: date, fee_amount: number, status: string }
```

## Required integrations

| Integration             | Purpose                                          | Read | Write |
|-------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|------|-------|
| Anaqua                  | Docketing data via Anaqua API                    | yes  | optional |
| FoundationIP (CPi)      | Docketing data via SOAP/REST                     | yes  | optional |
| PatTrax                 | Docketing data via API                           | yes  | optional |
| USPTO Patent Center     | File wrapper data via sponsored-user API         | yes  | no    |
| WIPO ePCT               | PCT application data                             | yes  | no    |
| Foreign associate email | Inbound IDS-trigger correspondence               | yes  | no    |
| Email provider          | Outbound client and foreign associate email      | no   | yes   |
| OpenClaw Memory         | Cross-run state                                  | yes  | yes   |
| OpenClaw Heartbeat      | Scheduled cadence                                | yes  | yes   |

Write-back to the docketing system starts disabled. The docketing clerk commits all changes manually for the first two weeks. After validation, write access can be flipped on for low-risk fields (correspondence log entries, decision-pending stamps).

## Compliance notes

USPTO duty of disclosure (37 CFR 1.56): the practitioner remains responsible for the duty of disclosure. The skill maintains the IDS queue and surfaces submission deadlines; the actual submission and the SB-08a signing remain with the attorney.

Inventorship correctness (37 CFR 1.63): the skill maintains an inventorship ledger so any mid-prosecution inventorship change (added inventor, removed inventor, changed primary residence affecting jurisdiction) is surfaced for the attorney's decision.

Confidentiality: invention disclosure detail, unpublished claim language, and prior art not yet on the public file wrapper are never put into outbound text by the default templates. The agent operates within the BAA-equivalent environment configured for the firm.

USPTO Patent Center access: the skill assumes the firm has appropriate Patent Center access (sponsored user agreements, etc.) for the matters being docketed. The skill does not e-file responses on behalf of the firm; e-filing remains with the attorney.

Confirm your data residency requirements before pointing OpenClaw at a cloud provider.

## Configuration

```yaml
config:
  firm_name: "Your Patent Firm"
  attorneys:
    - last_name: "Goff"
      registration_number: "60123"
      bar_states: [CA, USPTO]
  approval_mode: attorney_approves_all   # or "autonomous_after_2_weeks_routine_only"
  docketing_system: anaqua                # or "foundationip", "pattrax"
  uspto_patent_center_sponsored_user: true
  standard_country_bundle_pct: [US, EP, JP, CN, KR]
  oa_response_extension_days_default: 90
  ids_submission_window_days: 90
  maintenance_fee_alerts_months: [12, 6, 3, 1]
  rce_recommendation_threshold:
    after_final_strong_response: true
    appeal_alternative_threshold: 0.4
```

## Quick install

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
mv patent-attorneys.md ~/.claude/skills/patent-docket-pct-coordinator.md
# Edit the config block to match your firm
```

Launch OpenClaw and the skill is live. Run `office action docket pass` or `pct national phase calendar` or `ids submission queue` on demand, or wait for Heartbeat.

## Want it wired to your stack?

This SKILL.md is the starting point. If you want it plugged into your specific docketing system, your USPTO Patent Center access, your foreign associate network, and your client-communication voice, on a fixed-price two-week clock with the founder writing every line of the build, the door is at
https://www.adhirajhangal.com/work

Install in 60 seconds

1. 1

   Drop the file into your OpenClaw skills directory

   Save the downloaded patent-attorneys.md as ~/.claude/skills/patent-docket-pct-coordinator.md (or your project-level .claude/skills/). OpenClaw picks up new skill files on next agent launch.

2. 2

   Connect your docketing system and USPTO Patent Center access

   Edit the integrations block to point at Anaqua, FoundationIP, or PatTrax. Read-only access is enough to start. The skill ships the prompts that translate the docket, the USPTO Patent Center file wrapper export, and the PCT applicant portal data into the agent's working memory.

3. 3

   Launch in approval mode, validate, then flip to autonomous

   Start with the attorney approving every client-facing communication and every docket-entry confirmation. Defaults route anything that touches a claim amendment, a Markush group, an inventorship change, or a petition decision to the attorney. After two weeks, flip the routine deadline-reminder templates to autonomous.

Example conversation

Common questions

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