Prior art redaction is the removal of personal data from a reference document. It supports UK GDPR Recital 26 when you circulate the technical content alone. anonym.plus runs on your device and keeps the figures and disclosure intact.
When this applies
A prior art bundle holds author names, emails, and source contacts. To share the technical content for a search, strip that personal data first.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Load the bundle into anonym.plus on your device.
- The tool flags author names, emails, and source contacts.
- Figures, claims, and disclosure text stay in place.
- Swap or black out the confirmed IDs.
- Save the clean copy on your device.
What you need to provide
- The file (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or scan).
- An operator; Replace keeps the reference readable.
- Optional allow-list to keep standard citation terms.
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Author N. Ito → [AUTHOR] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | n.ito@example.co.uk → [EMAIL] |
| Org | ORGANIZATION | Source lab → [SOURCE] |
| Location | LOCATION | Bristol → [LOCATION] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | published 2019 → [DATE] |
| Reference | PATENT_NUMBER | cite GB2509221 → [CITE] |
Compliance achieved
- Keeps in full the disclosure that Patents Act 1977 s.2(2) makes part of the state of the art.
- Handles earlier-filed but later-published applications, which count for novelty alone under s.2(3).
- Serves design searches too, where RDA 1949 s.1B tests novelty and individual character.
- Catches author and contact data in headers and footers.
- Supports UK GDPR Recital 26 anonymisation for search material shared onward.
Anonymise prior art documents offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
A reference is often already public, so cleaning a copy here suits the internal version you annotate. Author clues plus a niche field can still point to one person. Review footnotes, where contacts and affiliations often hide.
Frequently asked questions
Why clean public prior art?
The published source may be public, but your annotated working copy can carry team notes and contacts. The UK has no equivalent of a US information-disclosure statement, so that working copy is yours to control. The tool strips the notes and contacts before you circulate it.
Does the technical content stay?
Yes. Figures, claims, and disclosure text stay. Only author and source IDs change.
Can I clean a mixed bundle at once?
Yes. Point anonym.plus at a folder for a local batch of up to 20 files.