Know when a USPTO examiner cites your patent against someone else's application.
Every week, examiners reject thousands of pending claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102 because an existing patent already describes the invention. The owner of that patent is almost never told. PriorBeacon reads every published office action and sends you the alert — and, for a one-time $100, the public record identifying who filed.
From a public office action to your inbox
We read the office actions
The USPTO publishes the text of office actions issued in published applications. We parse every one and extract the § 102 (anticipation) rejections and the patents the examiner relied on.
We match the cited patent to its owner
Using USPTO assignment and file records, we identify the owner of record, confirm the patent is still in force, and send a short, plain-language alert with what the public record shows.
You decide whether to look closer
For a one-time $100 you get the citation report: the application and publication numbers, the applicant's name, correspondence address and attorney of record, the examiner's exact rejection text, and links to every source document.
What the email means — and doesn't
An alert means a USPTO examiner cited your patent as the prior-art reference when rejecting claims in someone else's pending, published application. That is a statement about the applicant's claims compared with what your patent discloses.
It is not a finding that anyone is making, using or selling anything, and we never say otherwise. Whether a citation matters to you is a question for a registered patent attorney. What we offer is the public record, assembled quickly, so you or your counsel can look.
Alerts are only sent to US-based owners and attorneys of record, at most once per citation, with a one-click unsubscribe. Received one by mistake? Tell us and we'll stop.
- Competitive awareness. Someone is filing in your exact space, and the examiner thinks your patent covers what they claimed.
- Timing. The applicant typically has three months to respond — often by amending claims or arguing around your patent.
- Portfolio insight. Repeated citations are a signal about which of your patents matter in your field.
- Counsel-ready. Everything is sourced to the public file so your attorney can verify it in minutes.
One report, one price
per citation report · one-time · USD
- Application number and publication number
- Applicant / owner of record, with correspondence address as filed
- Attorney or agent of record
- Examiner's § 102 rejection text citing your patent, verbatim
- Filing date, status, art unit and estimated response window
- Links to Patent Center, the published application and assignment records
- Delivered on this site and by email within minutes
Secure card payment via Stripe. 14-day no-questions-asked refund. Georgia sales tax added where required.
What you are buying
A one-time digital research report compiled from public USPTO records. It is informational only. It is not legal advice and not an opinion on infringement, validity or value. We don't offer licensing, "monetization" or enforcement services, and we don't contact the applicant on your behalf.
What you are not buying
A subscription. There is no renewal, no account to cancel, and no follow-up sales process. If you want ongoing monitoring of a patent portfolio, write to us — we're building it.
Questions people ask
Is this from the USPTO?
No. PriorBeacon is a private company in Georgia with no connection to the USPTO or any government agency. The USPTO does not email patent owners about citations, and nothing is owed to the USPTO because of anything we send.
Does a § 102 citation mean someone is infringing my patent?
No, and we never say that. An anticipation rejection means the examiner found that your patent's disclosure describes what the applicant claimed. Infringement is about products and activities, not patent applications. Only a registered patent attorney can advise you on your rights.
Where does the data come from?
Entirely from public USPTO sources: the office-action text the USPTO publishes for published applications, the application file in Patent Center, and USPTO assignment records. Every item in a report links to its source.
How did you get my email address?
From a public page where it is published as a business or professional contact — typically your company's website, your law firm's attorney page, or a professional directory. We note the source in every email, we never buy or sell lists, and one click removes you permanently.
Can't I find this myself for free?
Yes, the records are public. The hard part is knowing that a citation happened at all — there is no USPTO notification for cited-patent owners — and assembling the file. We charge for the monitoring and the assembly, not for the records.
What's your refund policy?
Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked, one per customer — just reply to your receipt. See the refund policy.
Will you tell me what to do next?
No. We give you the public record and recommend you discuss it with a registered patent attorney. Be aware that Georgia and more than 30 other states prohibit bad-faith assertions of patent infringement, so don't accuse anyone of anything on the strength of a citation alone.