Documentation - Cadence IP

SMTP configuration

Connect your email account to send from Cadence IP

Before you can send emails, configure your SMTP credentials under Settings → Email Settings. Cadence IP supports any standard SMTP provider.

Common provider settings

Provider	SMTP Host	Port	Encryption
Office 365	smtp.office365.com	587	TLS
Gmail	smtp.gmail.com	587	TLS
Custom SMTP	Your provider's host	587 or 465	TLS or SSL

1

Enter your credentials

Fill in the SMTP host, port, encryption type, username (usually your email address), and password. For Office 365, the username is your full email address (e.g., john@smithpatents.com.au).

2

Set the From address and name

Configure the "From" name and email that will appear on outbound messages. This is typically your firm name and main email address.

3

Test the connection

Click Test Connection to verify your settings. A test email will be sent to your registered email address. If the test fails, double-check your credentials and ensure your email provider allows SMTP access.

Gmail app passwords

Gmail requires an App Password if two-factor authentication is enabled (which it should be). Generate an app password at Google Account → Security → App Passwords and use that instead of your regular Gmail password.

Office 365 modern authentication

If your organisation uses Office 365 with modern authentication and has SMTP AUTH disabled, you may need your administrator to enable SMTP AUTH for your mailbox. Check Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Users → Mail → Email Apps.

Sending emails from matters

Compose and send with matter context

From any matter page, click the Email tab and then + New Email to compose a message. Emails sent from within a matter are automatically linked to that matter and appear in its email history.

Composing an email

Template — Select an email template to pre-fill the subject and body with variable-substituted content. You can edit before sending.
To — Add recipients manually or select from contacts assigned to roles on this matter. Click a role name (e.g., "Applicant") to auto-fill the recipient.
CC / BCC — Additional recipients. Useful for copying the responsible attorney or keeping the firm's records address in BCC.
Subject — The email subject. When sent from a matter, the subject tag (e.g., [M-42]) is automatically inserted for threading.
Body — Rich text editor for the email content. Variables from the template are already resolved when you select a template.
Attachments — Attach files from the matter's file system or upload new files from your computer.

To:

John Smith (Applicant) ×

Subject:

[M-42] Examination Report — 2026123456 — Widget Fastener

Dear John Smith,

We refer to the above application (2026123456) filed on 15 January 2026.

We have received an examination report from IP Australia...

Examination_Report_2026123456.pdf

Send

Email compose view with template applied and recipient from role

Quick send from roles

You can also send an email directly from a contact's role card on the matter page. Click the email icon next to the role contact to open a compose window pre-addressed to that contact.

Email signature builder

Create a professional email signature for your firm

The signature builder lets you create a branded email signature that is automatically appended to all outbound emails. Access it from Settings → Email Settings → Signature.

The signature builder supports:

Firm logo — Upload your logo (PNG or JPG, recommended max 200px wide)
Layout — Choose between horizontal (logo beside text) or stacked (logo above text) layouts
Colours — Set primary and secondary colours to match your brand
Font — Select from web-safe fonts for consistent rendering across email clients
Content fields — Name, title, phone, email, website, address, and social media links
Live preview — See exactly how your signature will render as you edit

Per-user signatures

Each team member can have their own signature with their personal details. The signature builder creates HTML that works reliably across Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, and other common email clients.

Incoming email capture

Automatically file emails to the right matter

Cadence IP can capture incoming emails and automatically link them to the correct matter. This works through a subject tag pattern that identifies which matter an email belongs to.

1

Configure your email handle

In Settings → Email Settings, set up your incoming email handle. This is the address where incoming emails should be forwarded or sent (e.g., inbox@yourfirm.cadenceip.com).

2

Subject tag pattern

The system identifies matters by looking for a tag pattern in the email subject. When you send an email from a matter, the tag is automatically included in the subject line (e.g., [M-42]). When the recipient replies, the tag is preserved and the reply is matched back to matter M-42.

3

Forward or configure routing

Set up email forwarding from your regular inbox to your Cadence IP email handle, or configure your email provider's routing rules to copy specific emails to the handle.

Subject tag tips

Keep the subject tag simple and unique. The default pattern uses the matter's org-scoped ID in square brackets (e.g., [M-42]). Avoid editing the tag out of subject lines when replying, as this breaks the matching.

How incoming capture works in practice

You send an email from matter M-42 with subject: "[M-42] Examination Report — Widget Fastener"
The applicant replies with subject: "Re: [M-42] Examination Report — Widget Fastener"
The reply is routed to your Cadence IP email handle
The system extracts "[M-42]" from the subject and files the email under matter M-42
The email appears in the matter's email tab, threaded with the original message

Email threading and history

Complete conversation history on every matter

All emails sent from and received by a matter are displayed in the Email tab on the matter page. Emails are threaded by conversation, so a chain of replies appears as a single expandable thread rather than separate items.

The email history shows:

Direction — Outbound (sent from Cadence IP) or inbound (received via capture)
Sender and recipients — Who sent the email and who received it
Timestamp — When the email was sent or received
Attachments — Any files attached to the email, downloadable directly
Full body — Click to expand and view the complete email content including signatures and quoted text

Email search

Use Ctrl + K to search across email subjects and bodies. You can also filter the email tab on a matter by sender, date range, or direction.

Training the knowledge base from emails

Turn correspondence into AI-accessible knowledge

Emails often contain valuable institutional knowledge — how a particular examiner responds, what arguments worked for a specific type of objection, or what a client's preferences are. You can train the matter type's knowledge base directly from email content.

From any email in the matter's email tab, click the Train KB button. The email content will be processed and added to the knowledge base for that matter type. The AI assistant can then reference this knowledge when drafting future emails or answering questions about similar matters.

Building knowledge from correspondence

Over time, training the knowledge base from your examination report responses builds a library of successful arguments. When the AI assistant drafts a response to a new examination report, it can draw on past responses that worked for similar objections — novelty arguments, inventive step reasoning, or clarity amendments that were accepted.

IP example: reporting an examination report to the applicant

Here is a complete walkthrough of using the email system to report an examination report to a client.

1

Receive the examination report

The examination report arrives from IP Australia. Upload it to the matter's files under the "Official Documents" folder. Update the "Examination Report Date" field and advance the step to "Examination".

2

Compose from template

Open the Email tab and click + New Email. Select the "Examination Report — Report to Applicant" template. The subject, body, and recipient (Applicant role) are pre-filled with the matter's data.

3

Attach the report

Click the attachment icon and select the examination report PDF from the matter's files. You can attach multiple files if there are additional documents to include.

4

Review and personalise

Review the pre-filled content. Add any specific commentary about the objections raised, your preliminary view on the response strategy, or the timeline for providing detailed advice. The AI assistant can help draft this analysis if you have configured an AI guidance for examination report summaries.

5

Send

Click Send. The email is delivered to the applicant, saved in the matter's email history, and the subject tag ensures any reply will be automatically filed back to this matter.

Automate this workflow

Instead of doing this manually each time, create an automation with a step_changed trigger (to "Examination") that sends the email template and creates a follow-up task automatically. See the Automations guide for details.