Claims Visualizer: Claim Tree (Step 1)
Understand your claim hierarchy at a glance. The Claim Tree shows every independent and dependent claim, amendment status, and element decomposition.
Open the Claims Visualizer
After starting an Office Action analysis, the Claims Visualizer panel appears on the right side of the dashboard. It has three tabs at the top: "1. Claim Tree", "2. Prior Art Matrix", and "3. Rejection Resolver". Click "1. Claim Tree" to begin.
Independent vs. Dependent Claims
Independent claims are shown at the top level with a bold indicator. Dependent claims are indented below their parent. Each claim shows its number and a brief label. Color-coded badges indicate: Amended, Previously Presented, New, Canceled.
Note
Click any claim to expand its full text in the detail panel below.
Amendment Badges
Claims that have been amended show colored badges: "Amended" (gold) means the examiner responded to a modified claim. "Previously Presented" (blue) means the claim text is unchanged from the prior response. "New" (green) means a newly added claim.
Claim Element Decomposition
Click a claim to see its element breakdown. Abigail decomposes each claim into individual limitations (elements). These elements are the building blocks used in the Prior Art Matrix to map against references.
- Each element is a distinct claim limitation
- Preamble elements are separated from body elements
- Linking phrases and transitional clauses are identified
- Amendment markup (insertions, deletions) is preserved inline
Claim Text with Amendment Markup
The claim text view shows the full claim with visual amendment markup. Insertions are underlined. Deletions are shown with strikethrough. Substitutions use purple bracket notation [[like this]]. This matches the USPTO amendment format.
Important
Purple brackets [[,]] indicate substitution text per Abigail convention. Red strikethrough indicates deleted text.
Navigate the Claim Hierarchy
Use the claim tree to quickly understand the structure of the claim set. Independent claims define the broadest scope. Dependent claims add progressively narrower limitations. Understanding this hierarchy is critical for drafting effective amendments.
Try It Yourself
Put what you learned into practice. Start free with $25 in credits.