Critical Date SearchCritical Date Search is a service of Keller Concepts, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma ("we", "us"). This policy explains what personal information we collect through criticaldatesearch.com, by email and from public sources, how we use it, and the choices you have. It does not cover reports we deliver to clients. Those are governed by our terms of service and any engagement letter.
Information we collect
Information you give us
When you contact us or engage us, we receive your name, email address, organization, and whatever you choose to share, such as a patent number, case details, deadlines or documents.
Information from public sources
We monitor public court records, including the CourtListener and PACER dockets, for newly filed patent cases. From those records we may collect the business contact details of the parties and their counsel of record, such as name, firm, business email address, phone number and the case they appear in. We use these details only to contact them about prior-art searches relevant to that case.
Information collected automatically
- Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used: pages viewed, time on page, referring site, device and browser type, and approximate location derived from your IP address. Google Analytics sets first-party cookies (named
_gaand_ga_*) to distinguish visits. Google processes this data on our behalf. See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. - Cloudflare. Our host, Cloudflare, processes technical data such as IP addresses to deliver and protect the site, and provides privacy-first Web Analytics that does not use cookies.
We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not run ads or retargeting.
How we use information
- To respond to inquiries, scope and deliver searches, invoice and collect payment.
- To contact companies and their counsel about patent cases they are involved in. Each message is individual, identifies who we are, and honors opt-outs.
- To understand and improve the site and our services.
- To protect the security of our systems, and to meet legal, tax and accounting obligations.
AI processing
Our searches are performed by an AI research system. Patent numbers, claims and other information you give us for a search may be processed by our AI service provider (Anthropic) under its terms, with model-training on our data turned off. Tell us before sending anything you don't want processed this way.
How we share information
We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We disclose it only:
- to service providers that operate our business: Google Workspace (email), Google Analytics, Cloudflare (hosting and security), Stripe (invoicing and payments) and Anthropic (AI processing), each bound by its own terms;
- when required by law or legal process, or to protect our rights or the safety of others; and
- as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of the business, subject to this policy.
Client confidentiality
We never disclose who engages us or what clients tell us about their matters. Searches cover public prior art on public patents, so the same search may be licensed to other defendants in the same campaign, but never with any client's identity or communications.
Retention
We keep correspondence and engagement records for as long as needed to provide the service and meet legal, tax and accounting obligations, generally up to seven years. Outreach contact details are deleted when you opt out, other than a minimal record that you opted out, which we keep so we don't contact you again. Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months.
Your choices and rights
- Opt out of emails. Reply "no" or "unsubscribe" to any message and we will not contact you again.
- Access, correction and deletion. Email eric@criticaldatesearch.com to ask what we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. Depending on where you live, privacy laws may give you these rights formally. We honor reasonable requests from anyone, and we will not discriminate against you for making one. We may need to confirm your identity before acting.
- Analytics. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google's Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Security
We use encrypted connections (HTTPS with HSTS), access controls and reputable providers to protect information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure.
Children
This site is intended for businesses and legal professionals. It is not directed to children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their information.
Changes
We may update this policy. Material changes will be reflected by a new effective date at the top of this page.
Contact
Keller Concepts (Critical Date Search), 10302 East 71st South #1008, Tulsa, OK 74133. eric@criticaldatesearch.com