recipe-freedom-to-operatelisted

# Recipe: Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) Search Search for potentially blocking patents for a product or technology. Each database uses its own query syntax — see `flowleap-uspto` for the USPTO Lucene grammar. ## Steps ### Step 1: Generate Targeted Searches Build a query per key product feature, in each database's own syntax: ```bash # EPO CQL flowleap patent build-query "<feature 1 description>" --allow-external-processing # USPTO ODP flowleap uspto build-query "<feature 1 description>" --allow-external-processing # Repeat for each feature ``` Done when every key feature has an EPO and a USPTO query. ### Step 2: Search for Potentially Blocking Patents ```bash flowleap --json patent search --query "<CQL for feature 1>" --limit 20 flowleap --json uspto search --query "<recommended_query for feature 1>" --limit 20 # Repeat for each feature ``` Done when both databases have been searched for every feature. ### Step 3: Screen to Live, In-Market Candidates Take the one-call snapshot (bibliography + legal status + family + term) and keep only patents that are **legally alive** and cover a **jurisdiction you sell in**: ```bash flowleap --json summary <patent-number> ``` Or, if you need the pieces separately: ```bash flowleap --json ops legal <patent-number> # is it active? flowleap --json ops family <patent-number> # where is it filed? ``` Done when every survivor is both in force and filed in a sales jurisdiction; drop the rest. ### Step 4: All-Elements Claim Mappi