Figures

The Figures page manages the figures of your matter; the Reference signs page in the sidebar manages the numbered elements that appear on them. Both belong to the matter, not to a single application: every application in the matter shares the same figures and the same element numbering, so a part keeps its number across your EP, US, and divisional filings.

Opening Figures shows every figure as a card, all the same size, in a single grid sorted by figure number: FIG. 1, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, and so on. A sub-figure's card sits right after its parent's, and a thin colored stripe down the left edge marks cards that belong to the same group. A parent figure that only exists to hold sub-figures under a shared number (no drawing of its own) doesn't take a card slot at all: its children still carry its number.

  • Create a figure with the Add figure button, or drop image files anywhere on the gallery to create one per file. PNG, JPEG, and single-page PDF are supported (PDFs are converted to PNG on upload).
  • Order figures by dragging a card into the gap before another card. Dropping gives the dragged figure that slot's number and pushes everything after it down: while you drag, the drop indicator shows the resulting label (for example "→ FIG. 3") so you can see exactly where it will land.
  • Sub-figures: drag a card onto the middle of a top-level card to add it to that card's group as the last sub-figure, or onto the middle of a sub-figure to make it the next sibling in that group. Sub-figures are lettered (FIG. 1A, 1B, and so on); one level of nesting is supported, so a figure that already has sub-figures can't itself be nested. A parent without its own image still owns its number slot, so its children keep stable labels.
  • Select multiple figures with ctrl/cmd-click (toggle one) or shift-click (select a range). Click empty space in the grid, or press Escape, to clear the selection.
  • Right-click a card for its actions. On a selection, it offers Group as sub-figures, which creates a new shared parent and letters the selected figures under it (figures that already have sub-figures of their own are skipped). On a single figure it offers Convert to sub-figure group (turns a standalone figure into 2A under a new shared parent), Promote to top level (on a sub-figure, moves it out of its group), and Make sub-figure of… (nests it into another figure's group by name, the same result as dragging it there). A sub-figure group holds at most 26 members (A through Z); an action that would exceed that shows an error instead of applying.
  • A figure without an image shows a warning and an empty slot. It is skipped when the application is rendered, but keeps its number so labels don't shift while you work.
  • Search filters the gallery by figure number or description.

The figure workbench

Click a card to open that figure. The breadcrumb reads Figures, then the figure; click the figure crumb to jump straight to another figure.

  • The canvas pans (drag) and zooms (scroll). Double-click to fit the figure to the window again.
  • The figure card beside the canvas holds the figure number and a description box: a short "shows a ..." sentence describing what the figure depicts. It saves when you click away.
  • The ⋮ menu on that card exports the figure as a PNG (with pins rendered on it) or deletes the figure.
  • Make background transparent in the same menu removes the white paper background from a line drawing, so the figure displays and exports as a transparent PNG. It applies everywhere the figure appears (gallery, preview, exports) and never modifies your uploaded file. New figures start with it on; switch it off to restore the original.
  • A figure created without an image shows an upload slot here.

Elements on this figure

The panel beside the canvas lists the reference signs pinned on the open figure. From here you can:

  • New element: use the + button in the elements card header. The element is created for the whole matter with its label ready to type, and placement is armed right away: click the spot on the drawing where it appears.
  • Attach existing element: the pin button beside it lists the matter's elements that aren't on this figure yet. Pick one, then click the drawing to place it.
  • Pin from the drawing: right-click the drawing itself for the same two actions. The pin is placed immediately at the spot you right-clicked (a new element still gets its label ready to type in the panel).
  • Place more pins: use the pin button on a row to place the same element at another callout point.
  • Rename or renumber: click a number or label in the panel to edit it in place.
  • Remove: hover a pin on the drawing and click its × (or right-click the pin) to remove that pin. Right-click a row in the panel and pick Remove from figure to clear every pin that element has on this figure.

Pins show the element's number on the canvas; drag a pin to move it. Hovering a pin highlights that element's row in the panel, and hovering or tabbing to a row highlights its pins on the drawing. Pins are workspace annotations, they are not drawn into your uploaded image. The export button in the header bakes the pinned numbers into the downloaded PNG. The assistant can also place, move, and remove pins; its edits arrive as pending changes for you to review and approve.

Reference signs

The Reference signs page in the sidebar is the coverage overview for every element in the matter: its number, its label, and where it appears. Numbers are yours to assign: click a number or label to edit it in place.

Three columns say where each element actually appears. Figures lists the figures it is pinned to; each chip opens that figure's workbench. Claims and Sections each count the drafting text of that kind that mentions it; hover a count to see every occurrence with the surrounding text, and follow a chip to jump straight to that spot, not just the claim or section it's in. An element with all three columns empty is declared but used nowhere, which is the signal to place it on a figure, reference it, or delete it.

Figures are matter-wide, while claims and sections belong to one application, so Claims and Sections cover the application you have open. An element referenced only in another application of the matter shows a muted count instead of an empty cell.

A dot before an element's number flags a problem worth a look: hover it for the explanation. It covers three checks: the element is pinned to a figure but the description never mentions it, the classic drawings/spec mismatch an examiner objects to; two elements share the same number, so a sign no longer points at one part; and two elements share the same label under different signs, a softer signal since legitimate duplicate labels can exist across unrelated figure families, so it warns without blocking. A number collision also tints the number cell itself the moment you type a colliding value, so you see it while renumbering, not just from the row dot. Prose that names an element without its sign is an editing concern, not a problem with the reference itself, so it is surfaced where you write instead: the References panel in the section editor.

Figures and your applications

Figures reach an application through the text: referencing a figure in a section or claim (e.g. "as shown in figure 1") links it. Unlike claims and sections, figures and reference-sign elements are matter-wide and always live: saving a version does not freeze them, so every version of every application, including versions you froze in the past, shows the current drawings and element numbering. Editing a figure or element updates what every version displays, immediately.