Quick answers to the most common questions about Stencil.
Stencil brings four core trademark prosecution workflows — New Applications, ID Conversion, Renewals, and Specimen Collection — into a single platform. Instead of switching between separate tools, you can draft, convert, renew, and collect specimens all from one dashboard.
Stencil is built and owned by Page Vault. We developed Stencil to bring the same reliability and attention to detail that Page Vault is known for into the trademark prosecution workflow — helping attorneys draft applications, convert foreign filings, collect specimens, and manage renewals all in one place.
When you create a new application, Stencil's AI analyzes your mark and suggests goods & services descriptions that are aligned with USPTO ID Manual entries. You can accept, edit, or regenerate suggestions until they match your needs.
Absolutely. Stencil is built by Page Vault with enterprise-grade security. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and your work is auto-saved so you never lose progress. Access controls ensure only authorized users can view your projects.
Click "Start your Pilot" in the navigation bar to get started. You'll get full access to all four filing workflows so you can see how Stencil fits into your practice.
Everything you need to know to start using Stencil.
What is Stencil?
Stencil is a trademark prosecution operating system built for IP attorneys and paralegals. It brings the core workflows of trademark prosecution — drafting new applications, converting existing identifications, collecting specimens, and preparing renewals — into a single platform powered by AI.
Instead of switching between TSDR, the ID Manual, spreadsheets, and email, Stencil gives you one place to draft compliant goods and services, capture specimens directly from client websites, and package filings for review — all with the USPTO ID Manual built in.
The Four Modules
When you create a new filing in Stencil, you choose one of four workflows depending on what you need to do:
Module
New Application
Draft a trademark application from scratch. Add sources like the client's website or a business description, and Stencil generates USPTO ID Manual-compliant goods & services with class assignments, filing fees, and specimen collection — all in one workflow.
Read the full guide
Module
ID Conversion
Convert an existing goods and services identification into current USPTO ID Manual-compliant language. Paste in text from a foreign filing, an international registration, or an older US filing, and Stencil maps every term to its closest ID Manual match — flagging exact matches, partial matches, and terms that need manual review.
Read the full guide
Module
Renewals
Prepare Section 8 & 9 declarations. Import an existing registration by serial number, review continued use for each class, and collect compliant specimens — all packaged together with a filing report and client communication template.
Read the full guide
Module
Collect Specimens
Capture and format specimens for an existing goods and services identification. Stencil visits the client's website, takes screenshots of relevant product and service pages, and matches them to the right class entries — so you have proof of use ready to go.
Tip: Stencil auto-saves your work as you go. You can close a project and come back to it anytime without losing progress.
Get a Free Walkthrough
Want a guided tour of Stencil? Click "Start Your Pilot" on getstencil.ai to schedule a free demo with our team. We'll walk you through the platform live and answer any questions.
Draft a trademark application with AI-powered goods and services.
Overview
The New Application workflow helps you draft a complete trademark application — from adding sources to generating USPTO ID Manual-compliant goods and services descriptions. Stencil's AI does the heavy lifting so you can focus on review and strategy.
This is one of four filing workflows available in Stencil. To learn about the others, head back to the Getting Started guide.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1
Create a new filing
From the dashboard, click Create filing. Enter the mark name and, optionally, the client or owner name — this helps you track which marks you're working on. Under Configuration, select Draft a new application, then click Create filing to begin.
Step 2
Add your sources
Next, you'll add the sources Stencil uses to generate goods & services recommendations. Start with the client's website — this works best for in-use filings or occasional intent-to-use (ITU) applications where a website is available. Stencil uses this as the main source of information for building your identification.
You can add more websites later, remove this one, or skip it entirely if no website is available — just click Skip for now.
Step 3
Describe the client's business
This is another optional source. If you have a description of what the client does — from the client themselves, or details you want the system to know about that might not be on the website — include them here. Stencil will use this alongside the website to generate more precise recommendations.
When you're ready, click Generate recommendations to kick off the analysis. You can also Skip for now and come back to add more sources later.
Step 4
Review goods & services recommendations
Stencil analyzes your sources and generates a comprehensive list of goods and services recommendations. This is your working identification — an exhaustive list of all possible classes found on the website, with recommended terms for each.
At the top you'll see the Summary — your total filing fee and a breakdown by class. You can easily switch off an entire class or switch it back on. Below that, each class expands to show individual entries with their ID Manual codes.
Tip: You can add more sources at any time from the Sources panel on the left. Each new source generates additional recommendations that you can review and include.
Step 5
Collect specimens
Switch to the Specimens tab to collect proof-of-use evidence. Click Generate and Stencil will go to the website, take all of the entries you've selected for your identification, and try to match a specimen with each one. This process takes about 5 minutes.
When it's done, you'll see all specimens organized by class. Go through each one and attach the specimens you want to include in your filing. You can also remove any that aren't a good fit.
Step 6
Review and export
Click Client Summary in the top right to see your complete filing package — total trademark classes, USPTO filing fees, and a pre-populated email to your client summarizing everything. Click Copy Email Text to grab it. You can also use Review to export a full summary of all terms, classes, fees, and attached specimens.
Convert international registrations to USPTO-compliant format.
Overview
The ID Conversion workflow takes an existing goods and services identification — whether from a foreign filing, an international registration, or simply an older US filing — and converts it into USPTO ID Manual-compliant language. Stencil analyzes each term, finds the closest match in the current ID Manual, and flags anything that needs your attention.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1
Create a new filing
From the dashboard, click New Filing. Enter the mark name and optional client/owner, then under Configuration select Convert existing identification. This tells Stencil you're working with an existing set of goods and services that need to be mapped to current USPTO-compliant terms. Click Create filing to continue.
Step 2
Add the existing identification
Stencil gives you two ways to bring in your existing goods and services:
Goods & Services Text — Paste the full identification directly. This works for any source: a foreign registration, a Madrid Protocol filing, or text copied from TSDR.
Import USPTO Filing — Enter a US serial or registration number and Stencil will pull the goods and services automatically.
Once your text is entered, click Analyze identification. Stencil will parse every term and begin matching against the USPTO ID Manual.
Step 3
Review your results
Stencil returns a full breakdown of your identification. At the top you'll see the Summary — your total filing fee and a breakdown by class. Below that, each term from the original identification is listed with its match status.
Use the filter tabs to focus your review:
All — Every term in the identification
No match — Terms with no ID Manual equivalent (these need manual attention)
Needs mapping — Partial matches where Stencil found a close but not exact equivalent
Exact — Terms that matched an ID Manual entry exactly
For each term, you can see the class assignment, the ID Manual number, and the matched description. Toggle classes on or off from the Summary to adjust what's included in the filing.
Tip: Focus on the Needs mapping tab first — these are terms where Stencil found something close but you should verify the match is accurate for your client's actual goods or services.
Step 4
Refine with the ID Manual
Click the ID Manual button to open the full, up-to-date USPTO ID Manual search panel. Search for any term and browse the results — each entry shows the ID Manual number, description, and class. Click + Add to include a term directly in your filing, and Stencil will assign it to the correct class automatically.
This is especially useful for terms flagged as "No match" or "Needs mapping" where you want to find the most precise ID Manual entry yourself.
Step 5
Review the Client Summary
Click Client Summary to see a side-by-side view of every original keyword mapped to its Stencil selection. The summary shows your Full ID — the complete converted identification assembled from all accepted selections — with a Copy Full ID button for easy export.
At a glance you can see the match breakdown: how many terms are exact matches, partial matches, or have no match. The table below maps each original keyword to the Stencil-selected ID Manual term so you can verify everything before sending to your client.
Step 6
Review & export
Click Review to see the final application details — trademark information, filing basis, website URL, and the complete goods and services organized by class with approval status. From here you can copy individual fields or export the full filing.
Tip: Use the Client Summary's keyword mapping table to prepare a clean before-and-after comparison for your client, showing exactly how each original term was converted to its USPTO-compliant equivalent.
Prepare and file Section 8 & 9 declarations with guided workflows.
Overview
The Renewals workflow helps you prepare Section 8 and 9 declarations by importing the existing registration, reviewing continued use for each class, collecting compliant specimens, and packaging everything for filing. Stencil pulls in the current goods and services on file so you can focus on confirming what's still in use and gathering evidence.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1
Create a renewal filing
From the dashboard, click New Filing. Enter the mark name and optional client/owner, then under Configuration select Prepare renewal. This configures Stencil for the renewal workflow — reviewing continued use and capturing compliant specimens. Click Create filing to continue.
Step 2
Import the existing registration
Stencil prompts you to add the existing identification. Select Import USPTO Filing and enter the US serial or registration number. Stencil will pull in all current goods and services on file, organized by class, so you don't need to re-enter anything manually.
You can also paste goods and services text directly using the Goods & Services Text tab if you're working from a non-US filing or prefer to enter it manually.
Step 3
Collect specimens for each class
Switch to the Specimens tab. Stencil shows each class and the individual goods or services entries that need proof of continued use. Add a source — like the client's website — and click Generate. Stencil will visit the website, capture screenshots of relevant product pages, and match them to the right entries.
Each entry shows its status: classes marked Needs evidence still need specimens, while Covered means all entries in that class have at least one specimen attached. You can view specimens Per Class or Per Entry to see exactly what's been collected.
Tip: You can manually attach or remove specimens for any entry. Click Attach to add a specimen to an entry, or Remove to detach one that doesn't fit. Each specimen shows the source URL and a timestamp so you can track when it was captured.
Step 4
Confirm full coverage
Once every entry has at least one specimen attached, the class status changes to Covered. Review the full list to make sure each entry's specimen actually shows the mark used in connection with that specific good or service. Each entry displays Attached (1) or more to show how many specimens are linked.
Step 5
Review & export
Click Review to open the Review Application panel. The Specimens & URLs tab shows your Term Coverage — a progress bar indicating what percentage of terms have specimens attached. Below that, each class displays its specimen screenshots with Download buttons so you can save them individually.
Use the Filing Report tab for the complete goods and services breakdown, and the Client Communication tab for a ready-to-send email template summarizing the renewal.
Tip: Stencil stores all collected specimens alongside the registration record, so you can reference them for future renewals or audits without re-collecting.
Key Deadlines
Section 8 Declaration — Due between the 5th and 6th year after registration, then every 10 years alongside renewal.
Section 9 Renewal — Due every 10 years after registration.
Grace periods — A 6-month grace period is available with an additional fee. Don't rely on it — file on time.
