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Patent family

Explain how to review patent families, process related members, and use the break report.

Written by Caleb Harris

Use the Family view when you need to understand how a target patent fits into its broader filing lineage. &AI brings related family members into one workspace so you can review continuation-style relationships, compare filing history, process additional members, and move into deeper context without leaving the project.

This workflow is available on all plans, and processing family members costs tokens to run.

Open the Family view

Start from the target patent inside your project, then choose Family from the target-analysis navigation.

The Family workspace supports multiple tabs, including Tree, List, and Claims, so you can switch between visual review and structured review without leaving the patent.

Use the Tree tab to orient yourself

Tree is the fastest way to understand the overall family shape. Use it when you need to answer questions like:

  • Which applications branch from the target patent?

  • Which family members were patented, pending, or abandoned?

  • How did the priority chain develop over time?

This is the best first stop when you need a quick visual understanding before deciding which members deserve closer review.

Use the List tab for structured review

List is the operational review surface.Use it to:

  • search by patent number, application number, or title

  • sort by title, number, filing date, issue date, or status

  • filter by family-member status

  • compare many members quickly

  • select family members for processing

This is the best tab when you need to narrow the family down to the members that matter for later work.

Process selected family members

When eligible family members are available, select them from the list and use the bulk process action.

Processing matters because it brings those family members further into the project for downstream workflows such as claim construction. Processing is consumes tokens.

Use the Claims tab when lineage is not enough

Claims is the right tab when the key question is not only which family members exist, but how claim coverage differs across them. Use it when you are:

  • tracing whether a concept survived across continuations

  • comparing claim sets across related patents

  • deciding which family member should become the main focus for charting or drafting

Review the Break Report when continuity matters

When continuity or entitlement questions matter, open the family break-report workflow for a deeper review.

The current break-report workflow compares:

  • raw continuity and genealogy relationships

  • explicit asserted priority or benefit references

  • evidence supporting each flagged relationship

It is designed to help reviewers spot possible breaks or mismatches, not to deliver a final legal conclusion. Look for:

  • summary counts showing whether critical, high, or informational flags were found

  • evidence-backed flags tied to specific relationships

  • source and excerpt details for the flagged issue

  • recompute support when you need to refresh the analysis

Treat the report as a reviewer aid. It is best used to decide where to dig deeper in the continuity record, not as a substitute for legal review.

Common review pattern

A practical way to use the Family workspace is:

  1. Start in Tree to understand the overall family structure.

  2. Move to List to sort, search, and narrow the relevant members.

  3. Process the family members you want to work with further.

  4. Open prosecution history, patent details, or the break report for the members that need closer review.

After family review

From here, continue into prosecution history, claim construction, charts, or drafting once the relevant family members have been processed and the family context is clear.

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