Design Patent Image Search

Find visually similar design patents from an image URL with country, legal-status, date, Locarno-classification, and assignee. Available via REST API or MCP.

CostRecent 169 credits / call

Try online

POST · https://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearchMCP · nexscope_zhihuiya_patent_image_search

What this API does

Find visually similar design patents from an image URL with country, legal-status, date, Locarno-classification, and assignee. The request accepts url, patentType, model, country, loc. Its documented result includes allRecordsCount, patentId, patentPn, apno, title, inventor, originalAssignee, currentAssignee.

Design Patent Image Search API use cases

Investigate a product IP question

To investigate a product ip question, a compliance analyst submits url and patentType to Design Patent Image Search. The returned allRecordsCount, patentId, patentPn help identify records relevant to the proposed product.

Collect records for an IP review

A compliance analyst uses Design Patent Image Search with url and patentType to collect records for an ip review. The returned allRecordsCount, patentId, patentPn help collect bibliographic evidence for a specialist review.

Document evidence for specialist assessment

For this workflow, a compliance analyst calls Design Patent Image Search with url and patentType to document evidence for specialist assessment. The result helps document the records supporting an IP research question.

Design Patent Image Search API FAQ

What does the Design Patent Image Search API return?

Find visually similar design patents from an image URL with country, legal-status, date, Locarno-classification, and assignee. The documented output includes allRecordsCount, patentId, patentPn, apno, title, inventor, originalAssignee, currentAssignee. It corresponds to the supplied url, patentType, model, country, loc. Optional fields can be absent; a missing value should not be interpreted as a measured zero. Example values illustrate the response shape, rather than live account results.

How many credits does the Design Patent Image Search API cost?

The current documented cost is Recent 169 credits / call. This is the same cost shown at the top of this page. If a range or estimate is displayed, the final charge depends on the request. Review your available credits and the pricing page before calling the API, and check API usage records for the actual charge.

How do I call the Design Patent Image Search API from my app or an MCP client?

Send a POST request to https://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch with your API key as a Bearer token and the JSON inputs shown in API integration. In a compatible MCP client such as Claude or Cursor, connect Nexscope and call nexscope_zhihuiya_patent_image_search. Use the MCP arguments shown in the MCP guide, or switch Online test to MCP to review its request before adding it to your app.

View plans and credits Connect this API with MCP

Try this API

Endpoint

https://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch

MCP method

nexscope_zhihuiya_patent_image_search

Step 1 of 3 · Authenticate

Authentication

All run endpoints require a user API key. Send it as a bearer token in the Authorization header.

Authorization: Bearer nk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Missing or invalid API keys return an authentication error. Manage keys from .

Step 2 of 3 · Send a request

POSThttps://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch

Run an API

Send a JSON request body using the parameters described below.

Example request

Replace YOUR_API_KEY, then run this command in your terminal.

curl -X POST 'https://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "country": "CN,US",
  "lang": "cn",
  "limit": 20,
  "model": 1,
  "patentType": "D",
  "url": "https://example.com/product-image.jpg"
}'

Code example

{
  "country": "CN,US",
  "lang": "cn",
  "limit": 20,
  "model": 1,
  "patentType": "D",
  "url": "https://example.com/product-image.jpg"
}

Step 3 of 3 · Inspect the result

Check the response

Read code for the request status and data for the result. Open the parameter and response reference for the full field definitions.

HTTP status codes

Code	Description
200	Default HTTP response for both success and many business errors. Only outer JSON code 0 indicates success or asynchronous acceptance; inspect data for the result.
429	Execution admission rate limit; honor Retry-After when present.
503	Execution admission is temporarily unavailable; honor Retry-After when present.
Opt-in	X-Nexscope-Http-Status: semantic maps controller-handled business errors to HTTP status on run and task routes. Pre-authentication failures, such as a missing API key (code 11209), may still return HTTP 200 before this mapping. Always check the outer JSON code; malformed requests and infrastructure failures may also return non-200 HTTP responses.

View parameters & response Try online

All categories/ Patent Intelligence ZY

POSThttps://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch

Run this API

Send a JSON request to execute this API and receive the documented response payload.

Open tester

Endpoint

Method	`POST`
Path	`https://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch`
Auth	`Bearer API key`
Content-Type	`application/json`

Request parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`url`	`string`	required	Image URL, maximum 1,000 characters.
`patentType`	`string`	required	Patent type: `D` (appearance patent) or `U` (utility model patent); the utility model API uses `U` permanently.
`model`	`integer`	required	Appearance patents: `1` (intelligent Lenovo, recommended), `2` (search this picture); utility models: `3` (matching shape), `4` (matching shape/pattern/color, recommended).
`country`	`string`	optional	The country/organization/region code of the patent acceptance office. Multiple ones are separated by English commas; if not passed, it means all the acceptance offices.
`loc`	`string`	optional	LOC classification, multiple classification numbers can be connected using `AND`/`OR`/`NOT`.
`legalStatus`	`string`	optional	Detailed legal status codes, multiple separated by English commas: `1` public, `2` substantive review, `3` authorized, `8` avoid repeated authorization, `11` withdrawn, `12` withdrawn-unspecified type, `17` Withdrawal - deemed withdrawal, `18` withdrawal - active withdrawal, `13` rejection, `14` all withdrawal, `15` expiration of term, `16` unpaid annual fee, `21` rights restoration, `22` rights termination, `23` Partially invalid, `24` application terminated, `30` abandoned, `19` abandoned - deemed abandoned, `20` abandoned - voluntary abandoned, `25` abandoned - unspecified type, `222` PCT did not enter the designated country - within the designated period, `223` PCT Entering the designated country - within the designation period, `224` PCT entering the designated country - the designation period expires, `225` PCT not entering the designated country - the designation period expires.
`simpleLegalStatus`	`string`	optional	Simple legal status: `0` expired, `1` valid, `2` under review, `220` PCT designated expiration, `221` PCT designated period, `999` unconfirmed.
`assignees`	`string`	optional	Applicant (patent rights), maximum 1,000 characters.
`applyStartTime`	`string`	optional	Application start date, format `yyyyMMdd`.
`applyEndTime`	`string`	optional	Application deadline, format `yyyyMMdd`.
`publicStartTime`	`string`	optional	Publication start date, format `yyyyMMdd`.
`publicEndTime`	`string`	optional	Public deadline, format `yyyyMMdd`.
`limit`	`integer`	optional	Returns the number of patents, 1–100. Example: 10
`offset`	`integer`	optional	Offset, 0–1000. Example: 0
`field`	`string`	optional	Sorting fields: `SCORE` (relevance), `APD` (application date), `PBD` (publication date), `ISD` (authorization date). Example: SCORE
`order`	`string`	optional	Valid when `field` is a date field: `desc` or `asc`. Example: desc
`lang`	`string`	optional	Title language: `original` (original text), `cn` (Chinese translation), `en` (English translation). Example: original
`preFilter`	`integer`	optional	Whether to enable prefix country/LOC filtering: `1` is on, `0` is off. Example: 1
`stemming`	`integer`	optional	Whether to turn on truncation: `1` is on, `0` is off. Example: 0
`mainField`	`string`	optional	Main patent fields, including title, abstract, claims, specification, publication number, application number, applicant, inventor, and IPC/UPC/LOC classification number, maximum 1,000 characters.
`includeMachineTranslation`	`boolean`	optional	Whether the search includes machine translation data.
`scoreExpansion`	`boolean`	optional	Whether to perform score expansion.
`isHttps`	`integer`	optional	Image domain name protocol: `1` returns HTTPS, `0` returns HTTP. Example: 0
`returnImgId`	`boolean`	optional	Whether to return `imgId`. Example: false

Response example

Platform response envelope. code 0 indicates success or acceptance; data contains the business result.

No response example is published for this API. Refer to the response fields below.

Response fields

Response field reference (21 fields)

Name	Type	Required	Description
`total`	`integer`	optional	The number of records returned this time.
`allRecordsCount`	`integer`	optional	The total number of matching records in the database.
`data`	`array`	optional	List of matching patent records.
`columns`	`array`	optional	Rendered column definitions.
`type`	`string`	optional	Rendering style.
`costToken`	`integer`	optional	Consume token.
`patentId`	`string`	optional	Similar patent ID.
`patentPn`	`string`	optional	Similar patent numbers.
`apno`	`string`	optional	Application number.
`title`	`string`	optional	Patent name.
`inventor`	`string`	optional	Inventor.
`originalAssignee`	`string`	optional	original applicant.
`currentAssignee`	`string`	optional	Current applicants.
`authority`	`string`	optional	Receiving Office country code.
`url`	`string`	optional	Similar patent drawing URL.
`score`	`number`	optional	Similarity score; the higher the score, the more similar it is, only valid when `field=SCORE`.
`loc`	`array`	optional	LOC classification.
`locMatch`	`integer`	optional	Whether to hit high weight LOC: `1` hits, `0` misses; only valid when `model=1` and `field=SCORE`.
`apdt`	`integer`	optional	Application date (timestamp).
`pbdt`	`integer`	optional	Publication date (timestamp).
`imgId`	`string`	optional	Patent drawing `img_id`; returned only if `returnImgId=true`.

Responses

Code	Description
200	Default HTTP response for both success and many business errors. Only outer JSON code 0 indicates success or asynchronous acceptance; inspect data for the result.
429	Execution admission rate limit; honor Retry-After when present.
503	Execution admission is temporarily unavailable; honor Retry-After when present.
Opt-in	X-Nexscope-Http-Status: semantic maps controller-handled business errors to HTTP status on run and task routes. Pre-authentication failures, such as a missing API key (code 11209), may still return HTTP 200 before this mapping. Always check the outer JSON code; malformed requests and infrastructure failures may also return non-200 HTTP responses.

Data source, freshness, and limitations

Source, freshness, coverage, rate limits, and estimation notes are not specified in this API definition unless they appear in the request or response field documentation above. Do not assume official marketplace data or real-time freshness when it is not explicitly documented.

Step 1 of 2 · Connect your MCP client

MCP

V2 recommended

Connect remote agents through the standard MCP 2025-11-25 Streamable HTTP endpoint. Use OAuth 2.1 Authorization Code with PKCE, or an API key for compatibility.

POST https://api.nexscope.ai/mcp
MCP-Protocol-Version: 2025-11-25
Content-Type: application/json

Authentication

OAuth clients request the mcp:tools scope. The endpoint's 401 response advertises protected-resource metadata for authorization discovery.

Step 2 of 2 · Call the tool

Call a tool

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": "tool-call-1",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "nexscope_zhihuiya_patent_image_search",
    "arguments": {
      "country": "US",
      "isHttps": 0,
      "limit": 10,
      "model": 1,
      "offset": 0,
      "patentType": "D",
      "preFilter": 1,
      "stemming": 0,
      "url": "https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/719mRAn2VrL._AC_SL1500_.jpg"
    }
  }
}

Legacy MCP v1

Existing API-key clients can continue using the compatibility endpoint. New integrations should use MCP v2.

GET / POST /mcp/legacy

Online test

Execute the current API with your API key and JSON payload. Online tests use this site's configured API environment; the Endpoint and copyable examples use the public integration address.

112 credits / callAPI usage records

Try it

Send a real request with the same contract shown in the reference.

Endpoint

/zy/patentImageSearch

MCP method

nexscope_zhihuiya_patent_image_search

API key*

JSON payload*

cURL

curl -X POST \
  https://api.nexscope.ai/zy/patentImageSearch \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer nk-..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "country": "CN,US", "lang": "cn", "limit": 20, "model": 1, "patentType": "D", "url": "" }'

Response

No response yet. Run the request to see the response here.

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