Patent figure checker
Patent Figure Checker
Upload a drawing and get an itemized report of what would draw an objection: margins, resolution, color, line weight, reference numeral height and figure labels, checked against USPTO or CNIPA rules for utility and design patents.
What the patent figure checker does
DPI and resolution
Works out the effective DPI the figure will have on a Letter or A4 sheet and flags anything under 300 DPI.
Margins and sheet size
On a full sheet, measures the blank space on every side against the 2.5 / 2.5 / 1.5 / 1.0 cm minimums.
Color and grayscale
Finds colored pixels, gray tones and shading that would make a sheet unacceptable without a petition.
Line weight
Estimates the printed thickness of the drawing's lines so faint strokes are caught before the office scans them.
Numerals and labels
An AI review finds reference numerals, estimates their printed height against the 3.2 mm minimum and looks for FIG. labels.
USPTO and CNIPA
Separate rule sets for USPTO and CNIPA, utility and design: design drawings are not flagged for missing numerals, and CNIPA is A4 only.
Checks the tool runs
Each item in the report names the rule it comes from, so you can look it up or explain it to your attorney. The checks follow 37 CFR 1.84 for the USPTO and the CNIPA Patent Examination Guidelines, whose drawing margins match PCT Rule 11.6.
- Resolution of at least 300 DPI at the printed size (37 CFR 1.84(l)).
- Margins of at least 2.5 cm top, 2.5 cm left, 1.5 cm right and 1.0 cm bottom (37 CFR 1.84(g)).
- A4 or US Letter sheet proportions (37 CFR 1.84(f)).
- Black-and-white line art: no color, gray tones or photographs (37 CFR 1.84(a) and (b)).
- Reference numerals at least 3.2 mm high (37 CFR 1.84(p)(3)).
- Lead lines that do not cross, no frames around the drawing, and a FIG. label on each figure.
- Opaque background and a file type the offices accept.
What a rejected figure looks like
Most drawing objections are formal, not technical: a scanned sketch at 150 DPI, a render with soft gray shadows, numerals that shrink below 3.2 mm once the figure is scaled onto a sheet, or a drawing that runs into the top margin. Each one means a Notice to File Corrected Application Papers and a replacement sheet.
The checker catches these before you file. When it finds a problem, fix it in place: DPI Enhance raises the resolution, Vectorize turns a scan into clean vector line art, and the PatentStroke sheet editor lays figures out inside the margins with FIG. labels and sheet numbers.
How to check a patent drawing
- Upload the figure or the whole sheet as PNG, JPG or WebP, up to 10 MB.
- Pick the office (USPTO or CNIPA), the patent type and the sheet size.
- Run the check (20 credits) and work through the warnings and failures, starting with the failures.
Figure checker FAQ
Related tools
Need the drawing itself?
Generate patent line art from a photo or sketch, or a flowchart from a claim, and lay it out on USPTO sheets.
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