Privacy Policy for Patent Boolean Search Generator

We are committed to protecting your privacy and personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our Chrome extension.

1. Data Collection

We collect the following information:

• Email addresses for account creation and management
• Authentication credentials for login purposes
• Payment information through Stripe's secure processing
• Search history and generated queries
• Custom synonym preferences

2. Data Usage

Your data is used solely for the following purposes:

• Managing your account and subscription
• Processing payments through Stripe
• Saving and retrieving your search history
• Customizing your search experience

3. Data Storage

• User authentication data is stored securely in Firebase
• Payment information is processed and stored by Stripe
• Search history and preferences are stored locally in your browser
• Custom synonyms are stored in Firebase Firestore

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• Firebase (Google Cloud) for authentication, data storage, and backend hosting
• Stripe for payment processing
• Google Gemini API for AI-driven query generation, claim analysis, and Office Action analysis
• Google Patents (publicly accessible) for patent metadata, claims, citations, and family lookups
• USPTO Open Data Portal (publicly accessible) for prosecution history and examiner statistics
• Slack (only if you install our Slack app) — see Section 4.1

All third-party services adhere to their own privacy policies and security standards.

4.1 Slack Integration (optional)

If you install the AI Patent Search Generator Slack app in a Slack workspace, the following data is collected solely to make the slash commands work:

• Workspace ID and name — to route slash command requests and label the API key minted for that workspace
• Slack user ID of the installer — to link the Slack install to the user's existing AI Patent Search Generator account for credit attribution
• Bot token — securely stored in Firestore; used only to post slash command responses back to the same workspace
• Slash command text — the patent numbers, descriptions, or CPC codes you pass to commands like /dossier, /patent-search, etc. This text is processed by the same backend pipeline as the Chrome extension

We do not read channel messages, direct messages, user profiles beyond the installer's user ID, or any files. The Slack OAuth scopes we request are limited to commands (receive slash command invocations) and chat:write (post responses).

When you uninstall the app from a Slack workspace, the linked API key is automatically revoked and the install record is marked as revoked within a few seconds. To revoke manually: remove the app from your Slack workspace settings.

5. Data Protection

• All data transmission is encrypted using HTTPS
• We never sell your personal information
• We do not share your data with unauthorized third parties
• Payment information is handled directly by Stripe's secure platform

6. User Rights

You have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access your personal data
• Request data deletion
• Export your data
• Cancel your subscription at any time

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, we will remove your personal data from our systems within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal purposes.

8. Updates to Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify users of any material changes through the extension or via email.