patent-figforge

name	patent-figforge
description	Create patent-style technical diagrams including flowcharts, block diagrams, and system architectures using Graphviz with reference numbering. 触发词：专利附图、流程图、框图、架构图、reference numbers、patent figures、专利图、方法流程图、系统框图

Patent Diagram Generator Skill

Create patent-style technical diagrams including flowcharts, block diagrams, and system architectures using Graphviz.

🎨 Style alignment with patent-forge: font (SimHei/黑体, 14pt), line weight (penwidth=1.3), arrow style (vee), color (B&W only) are hard-coded in diagram_generator.py — no caller configuration needed, always consistent. See references/compliance.md for full anti-patterns & failure modes.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when users ask to:

• Create flowcharts for method claims
• Generate block diagrams for system claims
• Draw system architecture diagrams
• Create technical illustrations for patents
• Add reference numbers to diagrams
• Generate patent figures

When NOT to Use

Do not invoke this skill for:

• General-purpose flowcharts or architecture diagrams unrelated to patent filing — use a generic Mermaid/Graphviz skill instead
• UI mockups, wireframes, or design comps — use Excalidraw or Draw.io skills
• Diagrams that require color coding, gradient fills, or photographic elements — these are rejected by patent offices
• Figures that already exist as hand-drawn sketches needing only digitization — use a vector tracing tool, not de novo generation

Quick Reference

• Flowchart: create_flowchart(steps, filename, output_format="svg") — rankdir fixed TB
• Block diagram: create_block_diagram(blocks, connections, filename, output_format="svg", rankdir="LR", title="") — rankdir default LR
• Custom DOT: render_dot_diagram(dot_code, filename, output_format="svg", engine="dot")
• Dual output: every render emits both SVG + PNG automatically. PDF NOT supported — convert externally.
• Templates: generator.get_diagram_templates() → simple_flowchart, system_block, method_steps, component_hierarchy
• Reference numbers: prefer in-label ref= (e.g. {"id":"cpu","label":"处理器","ref":20}). Numbering: main=10/20/30, sub=12/14/16. Each number = exactly ONE element per figure.

Required Dependencies

This skill requires Graphviz to be installed:

Windows:

choco install graphviz

Linux:

sudo apt install graphviz

Mac:

brew install graphviz

Python Package:

pip install graphviz

How to Use

Bootstrap (self-locating, works in any runtime)

import os, sys
# Resolve skill root = the folder containing this SKILL.md (parent of python/).
_SKILL_ROOT = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)) if '__file__' in dir() else os.getcwd()
for _candidate in (_SKILL_ROOT, os.getcwd(), r"c:\AI\.github\skills\patent-figforge"):
    if os.path.exists(os.path.join(_candidate, "python", "diagram_generator.py")):
        _SKILL_ROOT = _candidate; break
sys.path.insert(0, _SKILL_ROOT)
from python.diagram_generator import PatentDiagramGenerator

# Ensure Graphviz `dot` on PATH (Windows ships it NOT on PATH by default).
for _dot_dir in (r"C:\Program Files\Graphviz\bin", "/usr/bin", "/usr/local/bin"):
    if os.path.exists(os.path.join(_dot_dir, "dot.exe")) or os.path.exists(os.path.join(_dot_dir, "dot")):
        os.environ["PATH"] = _dot_dir + os.pathsep + os.environ.get("PATH", ""); break

generator = PatentDiagramGenerator(output_dir=".")

Flowchart — create_flowchart(steps, filename, output_format="svg")

Rankdir fixed TB (no caller arg). Each step's next entry: bare str (id) or dict {id, label?, style?, constraint?}. Set constraint="false" for loop-back edges so graphviz routes them as back-arcs outside the main rank chain (prevents crossing).

steps = [
    {"id":"start","label":"开始","shape":"ellipse","ref":10,"next":["s1"]},
    {"id":"s1","label":"采样","shape":"box","ref":20,"next":["dec"]},
    {"id":"dec","label":"过压?","shape":"diamond","ref":30,"next":[
        {"id":"protect","label":"是"},
        {"id":"s1","label":"否","constraint":"false"},
    ]},
    {"id":"protect","label":"保护模式","shape":"box","ref":40,"next":["end"]},
    {"id":"end","label":"结束","shape":"ellipse","ref":50,:[]},
]
generator.create_flowchart(steps=steps, filename=)

Block diagram — create_block_diagram(blocks, connections, filename, output_format="svg", rankdir="LR", title="")

Rankdir defaults LR (system blocks); pass rankdir="TB" only for top-down hierarchies. type field on blocks is ignored by renderer (all render as boxes; exists for forward-compat). Connections: [from, to, label?, style?].

blocks = [{"id":"vadc","label":"电压采集","ref":10},{"id":"mcu","label":"主控MCU","ref":20}]
connections = [["vadc","mcu","SPI"]]
generator.create_block_diagram(blocks=blocks, connections=connections, filename="bms_block")

Custom DOT — render_dot_diagram(dot_code, filename, output_format="svg", engine="dot")

Pass raw DOT source. Engine: dot (hierarchical, default), neato, fdp, circo, twopi.

Reference numbers

Prefer in-label ref= on node/block dict (e.g. {"id":"cpu","label":"处理器","ref":20}) — appends (20) cleanly, no lead lines. The post-hoc add_reference_numbers() API exists but is discouraged (Anti-Pattern #6). Numbering: main=10/20/30, sub=12/14/16. Each number = exactly ONE element per figure.

Chinese / CJK example (CNIPA filing)

A typical CNIPA BMS system block diagram — SimHei font is auto-resolved on Windows via _resolve_cjk_font(), so Chinese labels render without tofu □□□.

blocks = [
    {"id": "vadc", "label": "电压采集单元", "ref": 10},
    {"id": "mcu",  "label": "主控 MCU",     "ref": 20},
    {"id": "comm", "label": "通信模块",      "ref": 30},
    {"id": "bal",  "label": "均衡驱动",      "ref": 40},
]
connections = [
    ["vadc", "mcu"],
    ["mcu",  "comm"],
    ["mcu",  "bal"],
]
diagram_path = generator.create_block_diagram(
    blocks=blocks,
    connections=connections,
    filename="bms_block",
    output_format="svg",
    rankdir="LR",        # CNIPA block diagrams default to LR
)
# Rendered: 4 boxes (电压采集单元(10) / 主控MCU(20) / 通信模块(30) / 均衡驱动(40)),
# black-on-white, splines=polyline, SimHei glyphs — CNIPA §第一部分第一章 compliant.

PDF note: this skill does not emit PDF. If the filing office requires PDF, convert the SVG externally (rsvg-convert -f pdf, Inkscape CLI, or dot -Tpdf).

Shape / Engine / Format quick reference

• Flowchart shapes: ellipse (start/end), box (process), diamond (decision), parallelogram (I/O), cylinder (DB). Block types (documentation only): input/output/process/storage/decision/default — all render as box.
• Layout engines: dot (hierarchical — default for patents), neato, fdp, circo, twopi.
• Output formats: dual-output is automatic — every render (create_flowchart / create_block_diagram / render_dot_diagram) emits BOTH .svg (primary, editable, the patent filing vector source) AND .png (for the view_image verification gate + docx/pptx embedding), regardless of the output_format argument. The output_format arg only selects which path string the method returns; both files always land in output_dir. You therefore never need a second render call to get a PNG for the visual gate.
• Templates: generator.get_diagram_templates() returns simple_flowchart, system_block, method_steps, component_hierarchy.

Workflow (gated)

Each 🔴 is a blocking gate — do not proceed until it passes.

🔴 GATE 1 · Plan & confirm (before generating any code):

• List nodes/blocks, edges, and reference-number assignment aloud.
• For block diagrams: state rankdir (LR default; TB only for top-down hierarchies). For flowcharts: rankdir is fixed TB internally.
• If >3 independent reference numbers with lead lines → STOP, split into multiple figures (Anti-Pattern #3).
• Confirm with user before rendering if structure is non-trivial (≥8 nodes, decision branches, or loop-back edges).

Step 2 · Generate: run the import recipe + the chosen API method (create_flowchart / create_block_diagram / render_dot_diagram). Use in-label ref= for reference numbers (Anti-Pattern #6).

🔴 GATE 2 · Render sanity (after _render returns):

• Confirm the SVG file exists and is non-empty (size > 500 bytes — a tofu/empty render is typically <200 bytes).
• Confirm Chinese labels are present in the SVG source (grep one label, e.g. Select-String start.svg -Pattern "开始"). Garbled/???/tofu here = fontconfig failed → Failure Mode row 3.

🔴 GATE 3 · view_image verification (MANDATORY before declaring done):

• Because the generator now emits both SVG and PNG on every render (dual-output), the PNG is already in output_dir — open it directly with the view_image tool to visually inspect. (If for any reason only an SVG is present, call the API with output_format="png" to produce the raster copy.) Note: view_image only accepts raster formats — SVG cannot be inspected this way, which is exactly why the PNG companion is produced automatically.
• Do NOT declare success based on "the file exists" alone.
• Verify in the image: (a) Chinese glyphs render (no □□□/tofu), (b) edges don't cross except intentional branches, (c) reference numbers are legible, (d) no color (black on white). If any fail → fix and re-render before proceeding.
• This gate exists because graphviz auto-layout can produce geometrically broken output (crossing lead lines, overlapping labels) that a file-size check will not catch.

Step 4 · Report: show the file path and list the reference numbers used:

Diagram created: ./method_flowchart.svg
Reference Numbers:
- 开始/Start (10)
- 采样 Sample (20)
- 判定 Decide (30)

🛑 STOP: present the verified figure to the user. Do not auto-generate additional figures or modify claims text without confirmation.

Failure Modes & Anti-Patterns

If your render fails, diagnose with the table first (top 3 most common). For the full 8-failure-mode + 10-anti-pattern tables, see references/compliance.md.

🔧 Top 3 failure branches — if X fails → Y

如果 (symptom)	原因 (root cause)	一线修复 (first fix)	仍失败兜底 (fallback)
ExecutableNotFound: failed to execute 'dot'	Graphviz dot 不在 PATH（Windows 安装器默认不加）	导入 recipe 已自动探测 C:\Program Files\Graphviz\bin。若仍失败：跑 dot -V 确认安装→未安装则 choco install graphviz / brew install graphviz / apt install graphviz	安装后重启终端使 PATH 生效；若 dot -V 已可用但仍报错，检查是否被杀毒软件拦截
中文渲染为 □□□ / ??? / 空白	字体配置缺失：fontconfig 找不到 CJK 字体文件（Windows 上 Graphviz 不带 fonts.conf）	_resolve_cjk_font() 在导入时自动写入 fonts.conf 并设 FONTCONFIG_FILE。若仍乱码：(1) Test-Path C:\Windows\Fonts\simhei.ttf 确认字体存在；(2) 验证 $env:FONTCONFIG_FILE 指向正确 conf；(3) GATE2 grep 中文 label 重验	Linux: apt install fonts-noto-cjk；macOS: 确认 PingFang 可用。若所有候选字体缺，跑 fc-list :lang=zh 找可用 CJK 字体加入 _CJK_CANDIDATES
Unicode 符号（✓ ✗ ⚠ ⭐ ➜）渲染为码点（如 "2713" 替换了 ✓）— 仅在 HTML-like label（<TD>, <TABLE>）	SimHei 缺少 misc-symbols 范围 (U+2600–U+27BF) 字形；Graphviz HTML label 字体查找无 fallback 链 → 直接输出码点	替换为中文（已覆盖/未覆盖/警告）或 ASCII（[OK]/[X]/[!]）	不要给 HTML label fontname 追加符号字体——HTML label 只认单字体，追加会丢失 CJK。纯文本 node label 不受此影响

🚫 5 most-violated anti-patterns

1. No color — black ink on white only (§1.84(a)(1)). bgcolor="white", fillcolor="white".
2. ≤2–3 reference numbers per figure with lead lines; for more, split into a second figure. Prefer in-label ref= (no lead lines).
3. splines="polyline" — never "ortho" (drops edge labels) or "curved" (not reproducible).
4. Reference numbers unique within a figure; each ref value denotes exactly one element.
5. No Unicode symbols inside HTML-like labels — see failure branch row 3 above. For non-HTML plain node labels, most symbols are fine but verify via GATE3.