Patent figure annotator
Add reference numerals to your patent drawings and keep them consistent across every figure. Name a part once — it reads the same on FIG. 1 and FIG. 7.
Free to use. Your drawing never leaves this browser. A free account only when you download the sheet.
- 1. Upload your drawing
- 2. Place a reference numeral
- 3. Name the part
- 4. Review the checks and download
Right-click the drawing to add a numeral; right-click a numeral to remove it. Drag a numeral to move it, its dot to change what it points at. Red means not named yet. Downloads are clean black-and-white.
Parts
One numeral, one part, every figure. Name it once and it reads the same everywhere. New numerals are suggested in even steps so you can slot a part in later — edit any of them.
None yet — right-click the drawing, or choose Add numeral and click it.
Checks
- FIG. 1 has no reference numerals yet.
Brief description of the drawings
Written from your figure list — paste it into the specification.
FIG. 1 …
Reference numeral table
Per figure, as it belongs in the specification.
FIG. 1
No numerals yet.
Why reference numerals go wrong
One numeral, two parts. The commonest drafting slip, and an examiner finds it fast. Here a numeral carries one name for the whole application, so it cannot happen.
Named but never drawn. A part with a numeral that appears on no sheet. The checks panel lists these as you work.
Drawn but never described. A numeral on a sheet that the description never mentions. Copy the numeral table and check it against your draft.
What are reference numerals in a patent drawing?
Reference numerals are the numbers placed on a patent drawing to identify its parts — 10 for a housing, 12 for a lid, 14 for a hinge. Each numeral is joined to the part by a short leader line, and the detailed description of the specification uses the same numeral every time it mentions that part.
In India, Rule 15 of the Patents Rules, 2003 does not allow descriptive matter on drawings except in flow diagrams. Parts are therefore identified by numerals, not written labels, and the reader matches each numeral to its name in the specification. That only works if a numeral means one thing throughout the application.
On a single figure that is easy. Across a dozen figures and several rounds of edits it is not — which is where most numeral errors come from.
What the figure annotator does
- One numeral, one part, every figure
- Parts live in a single list for the application. Put numeral 12 on FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 and it is the same part on both — rename it once and both follow.
- Leader lines that point where you click
- Each numeral gets a leader line to the exact point it indicates, with an optional arrowhead. Nudge the numeral or the point with the arrow keys.
- Checks as you work
- A numeral with no name, a part named but never drawn, one name carrying two numerals, the same numeral placed twice on a sheet, a figure with no numerals — flagged live.
- Brief description of the drawings
- Caption each figure and the tool writes the “FIG. 1 …, FIG. 2 …” list for you, ready to paste into the specification.
- Reference numeral table
- A per-figure list of every numeral and its part, to check against the detailed description before you file.
- Clean black-and-white export
- Each sheet downloads as a high-resolution PNG with numerals and leader lines in black, without the on-screen highlights.
How to annotate a patent drawing
- 1. Upload your drawing. Open a PNG or JPG of the figure. It is read inside your browser and is not uploaded. Add more figures for FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and onwards.
- 2. Place a reference numeral. Choose Add numeral (or right-click the drawing) and click the point the numeral should indicate. A leader line joins the numeral to that point.
- 3. Name the part. Type what the numeral refers to. The name belongs to the numeral for the whole application, so the same part reads the same on every figure.
- 4. Review the checks and download. Fix anything the checks panel flags, copy the brief description of the drawings and the numeral table, then download each sheet as a PNG with a free account.
A common convention is to number by figure — 100s on FIG. 1, 200s on FIG. 2 — or to use even numbers so there is room to add parts later. Pick one convention and keep to it; the annotator holds each numeral to its part whichever you choose.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a patent figure annotator?
- It is a tool for adding reference numerals and leader lines to patent drawings. You upload a figure, click the part you want to number, and name it. The annotator keeps each numeral tied to one part across every figure in the application.
- Is the patent figure annotator free?
- Yes. Annotating drawings is free and needs no account. Downloading the annotated sheet needs a free IPR Manager account. No paid plan is required.
- Is my patent drawing uploaded to your servers?
- No. On this public page the drawing is opened inside your browser and never leaves it. Nothing about the figure is uploaded or stored, which matters when the invention is not yet published.
- Is my work saved if I close the page?
- No. Because nothing is stored, refreshing or closing the page clears your work. Download each sheet and copy the numeral table before you leave. Inside IPR Manager, figures and numerals are saved with the case.
- Which file formats can I annotate?
- Any image your browser can open, such as PNG or JPG. For a PDF drawing sheet, export the page as an image first. The annotated sheet downloads as a PNG.
- Can I use the same reference numeral on several figures?
- Yes — that is what the tool is built for. A part keeps the same numeral and the same name on every figure it appears in, and the checks panel warns you if one name ends up with two different numerals.
- Does it follow the drawing rules for Indian patent applications?
- It is built for Indian practice. Rule 15 of the Patents Rules, 2003 says no descriptive matter may appear on drawings except in flow diagrams, which is why parts are identified by numerals rather than labels. The tool does not check sheet size, margins or other formal requirements, so review every sheet against the Patents Rules before filing.
- Can it write the brief description of the drawings?
- Yes. Give each figure a caption and the annotator assembles the brief description of the drawings (FIG. 1 …, FIG. 2 …) for you to paste into the specification.
Annotating figures for every matter?
In IPR Manager the numerals stay attached to the case, and we check them against your drafted description automatically — so a part you renamed in the spec stops matching its figure before it reaches the IPO.
This is drafting software, not legal advice, and we do not file on your behalf. Check every sheet against the Patents Rules, 2003 before filing.