Inklaim FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Twenty short answers about what Inklaim does, the EPO, UIBM, PCT and USPTO rules for patent drawings, the use of artificial intelligence and data, pricing and the pilot project. Each answer links to the page that covers the topic in depth.
In short: Inklaim prepares draft drawing sheets from 3D CAD, DXF or vector PDF files, photos of an object, sketches and claims, checked against EPO, UIBM, PCT, USPTO, CNIPA and KIPO rules. The AI is optional and does not draw geometry; the data is stored in the European Union for all plans. Prices start at €49 per matter, with no VAT added, and there is a 14-day free trial.
Updated October 2026
The product
Inklaim is web software from an Italian start-up founded in Turin that prepares draft patent drawings, checked against EPO, UIBM, USPTO, PCT, CNIPA and KIPO rules, from 3D CAD models (STEP/IGES), DXF or vector PDF files, photos of an object, sketches and claims. It runs in the browser, in Chrome or Edge: there is nothing to install. All functions are described on the Inklaim features page.
From 3D models in STEP, IGES or BREP, including assemblies and models in inches; from 2D drawings in DXF or vector PDF; from sketches or photos (beta feature); and from the claims, for flowcharts. Native SolidWorks, Inventor or Creo files are exported to STEP first; DWG files are saved as DXF. Details on the page about patent drawings from 3D models.
A PDF ready for filing, an SVG and a layered DXF to continue in AutoCAD, or a ZIP of the whole matter. The export follows the chosen office (sheets, margins, labels) and the language of the texts: there is only one drawing, and the reference numerals do not change.
Yes. When you import a DXF or vector PDF file, Inklaim removes dimensions, texts, title block, frame, center lines and hatching, and before you confirm it shows in color what will disappear. On the 3D model, the level of detail removes holes, fillets, chamfers and small hardware. See the page on simplifying patent figures.
Yes. From method claims it prepares a flowchart with the steps already numbered (S100, S102…), and from system claims a block diagram. It also works without AI, directly from the text, and the result can be edited like any other drawing.
Office rules
The rules below are summaries: for a filing, the official text linked in each answer and the patent attorney's check are what count.
For the EPO, the UIBM, the USPTO and the PCT. For each office it checks the usable surface area and margins, minimum character height, line thickness, figure labels, sheet numbers and text matter that is not indispensable. The result is a checked draft: the final check stays with the patent attorney. For an overview, read the guide to patent drawings.
The former Rule 46 EPC was deleted with effect from 1 February 2023. Today Rule 49(2) EPC and the Decision of the President of the EPO dated 7 July 2025 (OJ EPO 2025, A49) apply, in force since 1 October 2025: A4 sheets, a usable surface area of 26.2 × 17 cm, details legible after reduction to two thirds, characters at least 0.32 cm high. Read more in the guide to EPO patent drawing requirements.
Art. 22 of Italian Ministerial Decree 33/2010 requires A4 sheets with black lines and margins of at least 2.5 cm on all sides. The EPO, by contrast, allows 1.5 cm on the right and 1 cm at the bottom. Since 1 January 2023, PDF files filed through the UIBM online portal must be PDF/A. See the guide to Italian patent drawings.
Yes, since 1 October 2025, but only with electronic filing: the drawings must have sufficient contrast and be legible at 300 dpi (EPO notice, OJ EPO 2025, A57). The UIBM requires black lines, and the International Bureau publishes PCT applications in black and white.
Only a few indispensable keywords, with free space around them for translation (Art. 1(2)(j) of the EPO Decision and Guidelines for Examination A-IX, 8; for the PCT, Rule 11.11). In flowcharts, a short sentence per step is allowed. Inklaim flags text matter that is not indispensable: see texts in patent drawings and translation.
At the EPO, figures are numbered with “FIG” and Arabic numerals, independently of the sheets; partial figures of the same figure take a capital letter, and a single figure is not numbered (Guidelines A-IX, 5.2). The USPTO uses “FIG.”; PCT and USPTO number the sheets “1/3”. See automatic figure numbering.
Yes. The same element has the same reference sign throughout the application, and a sign that appears in the drawings must also appear in the description or the claims, and vice versa (EPO Guidelines A-IX, 7.5.4; Rule 11.13 PCT). Inklaim checks this across the whole matter: see the consistency check and the guide to reference signs.
AI and data
No. CAD views, DXF and PDF import and line drawing are deterministic: the lines come from the model, the drawing or the sketch. When it is on, the AI works on texts (translations, glossary) and proposes reference numerals and checks that you confirm.
In the European Union, for all plans: application, database, uploaded files and backups. The optional AI uses Google Cloud with processing in the EU; Google states that it does not use customer data to train models without permission. Everything is on the security and data page.
Yes. Each firm turns the AI on or off with a switch; with the AI off, no content goes to the AI provider. There is a monthly request limit per firm, and every content created with AI is marked in the app and in the metadata of the exported files (EU AI Act, Art. 50).
Inklaim processes matter data as a data processor on behalf of the firm, under an agreement pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR. You can export all of your firm's data and delete the firm or a single account. One firm's data is never visible to another, and texts or drawings never end up in the error logs.
Pricing and pilot
A 14-day free trial with 10 watermarked figures; the Per matter plan at €49 per matter (up to 10 figures); Professional at €89 a month; Firm at €159 per seat per month, from 3 seats; Enterprise from €20,000 a year. Prices in euros, VAT not applicable (Italian flat-rate scheme). You pay for a figure when you export it for filing. Details on the Inklaim pricing page.
It lasts 4 weeks: 3 to 6 people from your firm redo with Inklaim 3 matters that are already filed and published, and together we compare time and quality with the hand-drawn sheets. It starts after a non-disclosure agreement; the terms are agreed with you. Apply on the pilot project page.
Yes, by agreement, with the Enterprise plan, which also adds sign-in with your company account (single sign-on) and connection to your own AI endpoint. See Inklaim Enterprise.
No. Inklaim prepares drafts that are already laid out and checked against the formal rules: the draftsperson refines, the patent attorney approves, and responsibility for the filing stays with the firm. We explain why we work this way on the About Inklaim page.
The pilot
Write to us, or see Inklaim at work on your own drawing sheets with a 4-week pilot on 3 already published matters.