get_most_cited_patents
Identify influential patents by retrieving the most frequently cited ones within specific technology areas using keywords or IPC codes, with filtering by date and authority.
Instructions
View the top patents cited most frequently by others, indicating influential or core technology. Returns at most Top 10 patents. Note: Search must contain either keywords or IPC. If both are provided, IPC is prioritized.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| keywords | No | Keywords to search within patent title and abstract/summary. Supports AND, OR, NOT logic. Example: "mobile phone AND (screen OR battery)" | |
| ipc | No | Patent IPC classification code. Used to specify a particular technology field. | |
| apply_start_time | No | Patent application start year (yyyy format). Filters by application filing date. | |
| apply_end_time | No | Patent application end year (yyyy format). Filters by application filing date. | |
| public_start_time | No | Patent publication start year (yyyy format). Filters by publication date. | |
| public_end_time | No | Patent publication end year (yyyy format). Filters by publication date. | |
| authority | No | Patent authority code (e.g., CN, US, EP, JP). Filters by patent office. Use OR for multiple, e.g., "US OR EP". |
Implementation Reference
- src/index.ts:248-251 (handler)The handler function implementing the core logic for the 'get_most_cited_patents' tool. It constructs query parameters from input args and delegates to the shared PatSnap API caller for the 'most-cited' endpoint.async function getMostCitedPatents(args: BasePatentArgs): Promise<ServerResult> { const params = buildCommonSearchParams(args); return callPatsnapApi('most-cited', params, 'get most cited patents'); }
- src/index.ts:303-316 (schema)The base input schema used by the 'get_most_cited_patents' tool (and others), defining properties like keywords, ipc, date ranges, and authority.const basePatentInputSchema = { type: 'object' as const, // Use 'as const' for stricter type checking properties: { keywords: { type: 'string', description: 'Keywords to search within patent title and abstract/summary. Supports AND, OR, NOT logic. Example: "mobile phone AND (screen OR battery)"' }, ipc: { type: 'string', description: 'Patent IPC classification code. Used to specify a particular technology field.' }, apply_start_time: { type: 'string', description: 'Patent application start year (yyyy format). Filters by application filing date.' }, apply_end_time: { type: 'string', description: 'Patent application end year (yyyy format). Filters by application filing date.' }, public_start_time: { type: 'string', description: 'Patent publication start year (yyyy format). Filters by publication date.' }, public_end_time: { type: 'string', description: 'Patent publication end year (yyyy format). Filters by publication date.' }, authority: { type: 'string', description: 'Patent authority code (e.g., CN, US, EP, JP). Filters by patent office. Use OR for multiple, e.g., "US OR EP".' } }, // Add a note about requiring keywords or IPC for most tools description: "Requires either 'keywords' or 'ipc' to be specified for a meaningful search. If both are provided, IPC is prioritized by the API." };
- src/index.ts:351-355 (registration)Registration of the tool in the ListTools response, including its name, description, and reference to the input schema.{ name: 'get_most_cited_patents', description: 'View the top patents cited most frequently by others, indicating influential or core technology. Returns at most Top 10 patents. Note: Search must contain either keywords or IPC. If both are provided, IPC is prioritized.', inputSchema: basePatentInputSchema },
- src/index.ts:398-398 (registration)Mapping of the tool name to its handler function in the internal dispatch object used by the CallToolRequest handler.'get_most_cited_patents': getMostCitedPatents,
- src/index.ts:146-210 (helper)Shared helper function that performs the actual API call to PatSnap's insights endpoint, handles authentication, errors, and formats the response. Called by the handler with endpoint 'most-cited'.async function callPatsnapApi(endpoint: string, params: URLSearchParams, errorContext: string): Promise<ServerResult> { const token = await getAccessToken(); // Will use cached token if available and valid const url = `${PATSNAP_API_BASE_URL}/insights/${endpoint}?${params.toString()}`; console.log(`Calling PatSnap API: ${url}`); // Log the request URL (consider using a proper logger) let response: Response; try { response = await fetch(url, { method: 'GET', headers: { // 'Content-Type': 'application/json', // Typically not needed for GET 'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}` } // Consider adding a timeout // signal: AbortSignal.timeout(15000) // e.g., 15 seconds timeout }); } catch (error) { console.error(`Network error calling PatSnap API endpoint ${endpoint}:`, error); throw new McpError(503, `Network error connecting to PatSnap API (${endpoint}): ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`); } if (!response.ok) { let errorText = `Status code ${response.status}`; try { errorText = await response.text(); } catch (e) { console.error("Failed to read error response body:", e); } console.error(`API Error (${response.status}) for ${endpoint}: ${errorText}`); // Log error details // Invalidate cache on auth errors (401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden) if (response.status === 401 || response.status === 403) { cachedToken = null; console.log('Authentication error detected, clearing token cache.'); } // Map common PatSnap error codes to potentially more user-friendly messages if desired // Example: if (errorText.includes("67200002")) { throw new McpError(429, "PatSnap API quota exceeded."); } throw new McpError(response.status, `Failed to ${errorContext}: ${errorText}`); } let json: PatsnapApiResponse; // Use interface type try { json = await response.json() as PatsnapApiResponse; // Type assertion } catch (error) { console.error(`Error parsing JSON response from ${endpoint}:`, error); throw new McpError(500, `Failed to parse JSON response from PatSnap API (${endpoint}): ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`); } // Basic check for PatSnap's own error structure within a 200 OK response if (json && typeof json.status === 'boolean' && json.status === false && json.error_code !== 0) { console.error(`PatSnap API returned error within successful response for ${endpoint}: Code ${json.error_code}, Msg: ${json.error_msg}`); // You might want to map these internal errors to McpError as well throw new McpError(400, `PatSnap API Error (${json.error_code || 'N/A'}): ${json.error_msg || 'Unknown error'}`); } return { content: [ { type: 'text', // Return the raw JSON response as text, formatted for readability text: JSON.stringify(json, null, 2) } ] }; }