This release is primarily intended to fix the Microsoft VC++ Runtime Library issue caused by the recent Microsoft Office update 2508. It also includes improvements to security and some feature enhancements. We plan to do a more comprehensive release with new features next month, once the problems caused by Office update settle down. You can download this update from Customer Portal and install it over the existing ClaimMaster installation.
Fix for Visual C++ runtime library error caused by Office v. 2508 update
The latest Microsoft Office update v. 2508 breaks a commonly-used VB library for regular expressions, causing unstable application behavior and VC++ runtime library messages when ClaimMaster is launched.
This update problem also affected other Excel and Access add-ins, breaking stable code that worked for years without issues. As the Office update schedule is not uniform for everyone, some users experienced the problem sooner than others, but eventually this will affect everyone who updates their Office. We are hoping that Microsoft will fix this issue soon, but in the meanwhile this ClaimMaster update works around the broken component and is compatible with the latest Office v. 2508.
Security improvements
The 2025.5 update also features digitally signed ClaimMaster add-in template and VB code to reduce occasional false positive detection by certain antivirus vendors and their security policies. We’ve also hardened the security of the stored API keys using the Windows cryptography libraries.
Improved boilerplate and auto-complete tools
We’ve updated our boilerplate tools to allow loading of boilerplate from multiple documents. For example, the commonly-used boilerplate entries can be stored in a file placed on a shared drive and this file will specify entries that are to be shared by multiple end-users. In addition, each of end-user can also configure their own boilerplate tables, which will be stored locally on the end-user’s machine. For more information about configuring multiple boilerplate files, please see the user manual.
We’ve also made it easier to quickly configure auto-complete entries, as explained in more detail here. When using auto-complete, ClaimMaster will use Word to provide you with “as-you-type” suggestions for the commonly used terms or acronyms in your documents. Suggestions will appear after four characters are typed into the document. You can then press “Enter” or Tab to bring up a menu that lets you select from a list of suggestions for auto-completing your term name when you type. Please click here for more information.
Patent family tree improvements
This update re-enables generation of patent family trees for large families using the EPO’s OPS service, which recently changed their API for families that exceed a certain number of members. We’ve also added the ability to selectively color and provide other custom information in patent family trees using custom tags, as explained in more detail here.
Finally, the 2025.5 update also includes other small bug fixes and improvements across patent proofreading tools (e.g., antecedent basis checking) and patent drafting tools.
You can download this version from the Customer Portal by logging in using your license id, customer id, or email.