PatentFig AI API

Generate and convert patent figures through the PatentFig AI REST API.

Base URL: https://patentfig.ai/api/v1
Auth: Authorization: Bearer $PATENTFIG_API_KEY
All endpoints are synchronous and return JSON: { "success": true, "data": {...} } on success, { "success": false, "error": { "code", "message" } } on failure.
Generated files are returned as URLs on https://cdn.patentfig.ai — pass them to the user or feed them into follow-up calls.

Setup

The key comes from the PATENTFIG_API_KEY environment variable. Never hardcode it, print it, or write it into files or logs.

If the variable is not set, tell the user to create a key at https://patentfig.ai/settings/api-keys (requires a PatentFig AI account; keys start with pfig_) and export it:

export PATENTFIG_API_KEY="pfig_..."

Verify connectivity and credit balance (free call):

curl -s https://patentfig.ai/api/v1/credits \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PATENTFIG_API_KEY"
# → { "success": true, "data": { "balance": 500 } }

Generate a patent figure (10 credits)

POST /figures — the core endpoint. One prompt → one figure. Views, diagram type, and composition are all controlled through the prompt; for a multi-view set (front/side/top), make one call per view.

curl -s -X POST https://patentfig.ai/api/v1/figures \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PATENTFIG_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --max-time 300 \
  -d '{
    "prompt": "Exploded view of a wireless earbud charging case showing lid, hinge, charging coil, and battery",
    "output": "svg",
    "labeled": true
  }'

output: "png" (raster figure) or "svg" (stroke-based line art, CAD-friendly). Default "png".
labeled: true adds patent-style numeric reference callouts (100, 102, …).
referenceImageUrls: up to 4 public image URLs (sketch/photo/prior figure) used as the structural baseline.
Response data.url is the figure; with output: "svg" the full SVG source is also in data.svg.

Prompting tips: name the parts to draw (names tell the model WHAT to draw, not what to label); for flowcharts/block diagrams, name every node explicitly.

Convert an existing image

All three endpoints accept either JSON with imageUrl (public URL) or multipart/form-data with a file field (PNG/JPEG/WebP/TIFF, ≤10 MB).

Vectorize (20 credits) — raster → SVG / DXF / vector PDF:

curl -s -X POST https://patentfig.ai/api/v1/vectorize \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PATENTFIG_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --max-time 300 \
  -d '{ "imageUrl": "https://example.com/drawing.png", "format": "dxf", "engine": "lineart" }'

engine: "lineart" (default) redraws as clean single-stroke patent line art — use for CAD/DXF. engine: "trace" reproduces the input pixels faithfully, preserving fills — use when output must match the original.

Enhance (20 credits) — AI super-resolution: POST /enhance with scale (2 or 4, controls pixels) and dpi (300 or 600, metadata stamp only).

Convert (20 credits) — filing-ready raster: POST /convert with format (png/tiff/pdf) and dpi (300 or 600).

Full parameter tables for every endpoint: see references/endpoints.md. Machine-readable spec: https://patentfig.ai/api/openapi.yaml

Operational rules

Set a client timeout of at least 300 seconds — generation and vectorization take from ~20s up to a few minutes.
Credits are charged only on success; retrying a failed call never double-bills.
Rate limit: 60 requests/minute per key. On 429 back off (start at 5s) and retry.
On 402 INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS, stop and tell the user to top up at https://patentfig.ai/pricing.
On 500 GENERATION_FAILED, one retry is reasonable; persistent failures usually mean the input doesn't suit the pipeline (e.g., a photo sent for line-art vectorization — suggest POST /figures with the photo as referenceImageUrls instead).
Before a batch of billable calls, check GET /credits and confirm the balance covers it.