google-patents-api

Search Google Patents and return patents with titles, assignees, inventors, dates, and links. Apify-backed n8n community node, pay-per-result, and usable as an AI agent tool.

Package Information

Released: 4 mo ago
Downloads: 15 weekly / 301 monthly
Latest Version: 0.1.1
Author: John Cole

Available Nodes

Google Patents icon
Google Patents
Search Google Patents and return patents with titles, assignees, inventors, dates, and links

Documentation

n8n-nodes-google-patents-api

An n8n community node that searches Google Patents and returns structured patent records: title, assignee, inventor, filing and grant dates, and links. It is backed by the Google Patents API on Apify and bills per result, so there are no subscriptions and no minimums.

Installation · Credentials · Operations · Output · Example workflows · Pricing · Resources

What it does

Search by keyword, assignee, inventor, or country, and it returns one item per patent with the title, assignee, inventor, filing and grant dates, publication number, snippet, and link. It also works as an AI Agent tool, so an agent can run patent research on demand.

  • Search patents by keyword and filter by assignee, inventor, country, and language
  • Page through results and control how many to return
  • Choose how much data to return per patent: Simplified, Raw, or Selected Fields

Installation

Follow the n8n community nodes installation guide:

  1. In n8n, open Settings > Community Nodes.
  2. Select Install.
  3. Enter n8n-nodes-google-patents-api as the npm package name.
  4. Agree to the risks of using community nodes, then select Install.

After it installs, the Google Patents node appears in the nodes panel.

n8n Cloud only allows verified community nodes. Until this node is verified, install it on a self-hosted n8n instance.

Credentials

You need a free Apify account and an API token.

  1. Sign in to the Apify Console.
  2. Open Settings > Integrations and copy your Personal API token.
  3. In n8n, create a new Apify API credential and paste the token.
  4. Use the credential's Test button to confirm it works.

The node also supports Apify OAuth2 if you prefer to connect that way.

Operations

Patent > Search returns patents that match your filters.

Parameter Description
Search Query Keywords to search for. Optional if filtering by assignee or inventor.
Assignee Filter by patent owner (company). Optional.
Inventor Filter by inventor name. Optional.
Country Filter by patent office country code. Optional.
Language Filter by patent language. Optional.
Number of Results How many patents to return per page.
Maximum Pages How many result pages to fetch.
Output How much data to return: Simplified, Raw, or Selected Fields.

Output

Each patent is returned as its own n8n item. The API returns more than ten fields per patent, so the Output parameter lets you choose how much to return:

  • Simplified (default): a compact object with title, patentId, assignee, inventor, filingDate, grantDate, publicationNumber, snippet, and patentLink. This mode is also used automatically when the node runs as an AI Agent tool, to keep responses small.
  • Raw: every field the API returns for each patent, using the original field names below.
  • Selected Fields: pick exactly which fields to include.

Fields (Raw and Selected Fields)

Field Type Description
position integer Rank in the results
rank integer Relevance rank
patent_id string Google Patents identifier
patent_link string Link to the patent on Google Patents
title string Patent title
snippet string Abstract snippet
priority_date string Priority date
filing_date string Filing date
grant_date string Grant date
publication_date string Publication date
inventor string Inventor(s)
assignee string Assignee (owner)
publication_number string Publication number
language string Patent language
pdf string Link to the patent PDF
country_status object Status by country

Example workflows

1. Monitor a competitor's patents

  1. Schedule Trigger: run weekly.
  2. Google Patents: Assignee a competitor's name, Output Simplified.
  3. Slack: alert on new filings with title, filingDate, and patentLink.

2. Prior-art research into a sheet

  1. Manual Trigger.
  2. Google Patents: Search Query your invention keywords, Maximum Pages 3.
  3. Google Sheets: append title, assignee, publicationNumber, and patentLink.

3. Let an AI Agent research patents

  1. AI Agent node.
  2. Attach Google Patents as a tool.
  3. Ask "Find recent solid-state battery patents by Toyota." The agent calls the node (in Simplified mode) and answers with matching patents.

Pricing

This node calls the Google Patents API on Apify, which is billed pay-per-result, with no subscription and no minimums. Apify also includes a free monthly usage tier that covers typical volumes. See the Actor page for current rates.

Resources

License

MIT

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