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Credits are the balance that pays for the parts of DownloadPatent that are charged per use. Each account gets a free amount of patent PDFs, so most accounts only spend credits on Office Actions and other-language versions.
What credits pay for
Each signed-in account gets a free amount of patent PDFs; the pricing page shows the current amount and when it resets. Credits pay for the rest, once per delivered item:
- A citation-list Office Action: US$0.15.
- A full-text Office Action: US$0.25.
- An other-language version that is found and delivered: US$0.03. The pricing page shows what Monthly includes.
- A patent PDF beyond the free amount: the price on the pricing page.
Monthly is US$20 per month and includes an allowance in each subscription period, shown on the pricing page; past that, the same per-use prices apply. The pricing page always shows the current prices.
Sign-up credits
After you verify your email, US$3 in credits is added to your account. Sign-up credits expire 30 days after they are granted, cannot be refunded, and cannot be exchanged for cash. This does not limit any right you have under applicable consumer protection law. An account receives sign-up credits once.
Which credits are used first
Each charge uses the credits that expire first, then the balance you bought. In practice, sign-up credits are used before purchased balance. Open Balance to see each entry.
Adding credits
Add credits in fixed packs of US$10, US$25 or US$50. Prices shown don't include applicable tax, which is calculated at checkout based on your location. Balance added by purchase has no expiry date. The conditions for refunding purchased balance are in the refund policy.
When credits expire
Sign-up credits expire 30 days after they are granted, and expired credits cannot be used. Balance added by purchase has no expiry date. If you delete your account, you can no longer use the credits in it; the refund policy explains how remaining balance is handled.
When you are not charged
A job is charged when it finishes, for the items it produced, whether or not you download them. Items that fail are not charged and go back to your credits. Downloading an item again is free, and so is a search that finds nothing. An other-language version is charged once, when you first download it.