Connect USPTO to Copilot Studio
Query USPTO directly from Copilot Studio. Arlet links the two through one MCP connection and takes care of API keys.
This server connects your AI client to the USPTO Open Data Portal API (api.uspto.gov), the Patent and Trademark Office's modern API over patent application file wrapper data.
Key features:
- search_patents: search applications by free keyword, applicant name or inventor name; Lucene-style field queries (applicationMetaData.inventionTitle:solar) also pass through. Results come back newest-filed first with the application number, title, status, patent number if granted and CPC classifications.
- get_application: the full record of one application by serial number - title, filing and effective dates, prosecution status text, grant date, all inventors and applicants, classifications, examiner and group art unit.
Because the data is the file wrapper (the prosecution record), this server answers not only 'what patents does this company have' but also 'what is this application's current examination status' - useful for competitive intelligence and IP due diligence. It covers US applications; for European filings pair it with an EPO OPS integration (planned separately).
Using the API requires a free Open Data Portal key from data.uspto.gov. Set it as USPTO_API_KEY in your Arlet environment variables.
How to connect USPTO to Copilot Studio
- 1
In the Arlet dashboard, open Data tools, find USPTO, set the API key issued by USPTO and switch it on.
- 2
Sign in to Copilot Studio with your work account, create a new agent (or open an existing one), and in the Build tab choose Tools → + → Add → Model Context Protocol (MCP) in the right panel.
- 3
In the Add MCP server form, enter "Arlet" as the Server name, https://mcp.arlet.dev/mcp/ as the Server URL, choose OAuth 2.0 for Authentication and "Dynamic (detected)" for Configuration type, then click Add. No Client ID / Secret is needed.
- 4
On the Select a connection screen, choose Create new connection → Create, then sign in with Google on the Arlet authorization screen and click Allow. Click Add to attach the tool to the agent, then Publish to use it from Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Requires a Microsoft work account and a Copilot Studio license (or trial). MCP is available only for agents using generative orchestration and not in Copilot Studio in Teams.