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Related to claims definition, interpretation, technical terms, the extent, scope, of the protection conferred to a patent

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9 views

Does patent for an apparatus cover the individual sub-components as well?

My invention is a replacement part for an existing device, that results in novel functionality. My patent will claim: Existing device (A) + my novel component (B) = A novel apparatus (c) Will a ...
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1answer
13 views

Can a claim be considered prior art if when taken out of context it describes your invention?

I found a patent that has a claim that when read out of context could arguably describe my invention. Their claim requires an external device to provide a notification whereas my device recognizes the ...
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2answers
48 views

Prior art on US2020012817 & US2020042837

I'm working on a startup, and I believe I've found two infringing patents about removing text from shareable content using OCR and machine learning. These patents are US2020012817 & US2020042837 ...
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1answer
23 views

Filing a continuation to result infringement

Given the following scenario: A patent issued to me is a prior art to patent filed by another company – I have the priority date. I can easily invalidate their patent but it does not mean that uses of ...
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0answers
36 views

Difference between an independent claim and a dependent claim for same thing

Is there a difference in patentability, scope, or protection from infringement between the two cases of claims below? case 1 I claim: 1 A piece; a hole in said piece. case 2 I claim: 1 A piece. ...
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38 views

at least one there, some perhaps here within there, this way and that way

Examples I have seen seem to follow the "at least one X" language with a first X, second X type language. However, My X is an indicium delineating an angle, such as 45° or 15°, with a special stated ...
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1answer
60 views

The singular and plural has been a major issue for me as a pro se first-timer

Nothing I have seen sounds right for my little invention, so I wonder what I'm missing. The invention needs at least one X somewhere on at least the first side of Y for the minimum invention to work. ...
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1answer
22 views

In non-final office action, how to handle previously withdrawn claims?

Assume in a response to examiner's restriction requirement, an applicant elected Claim 1 and withdrew Claim 2 without traverse. Then in the following non-final office action, what should the ...
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2answers
20 views

How does “A system comprising” claim works when multiple parties involved?

I just Googled the definition for the word system. Google says, a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network; a complex whole. So the phrase "A system ...
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1answer
34 views

How patent claims are examined by an examiner?

I would like understand how a patent application get examined. Let's say, I have 1 independent claim and 99 level 1 dependent claims. Does that mean, the examiner search for prior art for all 99 ...
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32 views

Can you claim something inherent in drawings, but not described in detail?

Let's say there are two items. Item A and Item B. Item A and Item B are similar, but not identical. One of my claim step is worded like this at the moment. Wherein the copying step uses item A ...
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1answer
21 views

Does the phrase “at least in part” cover “exact match” too?

wherein string A at least in part match with string B Is the phrase "at least in part" here valid when both string A and String B has the exact same value? Also is that phrase bi-directional?
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1answer
17 views

Where to place the “; and” in the limitation?

It seems like patent claims requires the keyword "; and" before the last limitation. I'm not sure what is considered as last limitation here. Claim 1: A method comprising: cutting ... ; copying .....
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3answers
53 views

What is the role of preamble in patent claims?

A claim reads like this. An apparatus for feeding humans, the apparatus comprising: item A; item B; item C. Another claim reads like this. An apparatus for feeding aliens, the apparatus comprising:...
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1answer
30 views

How to protect the value rather than functionality?

I have a situation where I need to protect the "value" which can be used in multiple steps. The value may be same for all steps, but sometimes it can different. I want to protect the value ...
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1answer
25 views

Can one use inconsistent terms in the claims?

My speciation contains terms like this. The term "Service" means .... The term "Service Administrator" means .... I have already filed my application. At the moment I'm amending my claims. I think I ...
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1answer
18 views

Can the preamble be same for all independent claims?

Let's say my patent has 5 independent method claims. Can all these claims have the same preamble? e.g. A method for doing X, the method comprising:
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1answer
31 views

Co-inventorship when claims based on the contributing inventor's concepts are dropped during prosecution

First, an explanation of the overall context is needed: A CIP has been filed by a sole inventor (me). After filing, it was decided that another individual probably should have been credited as a co-...
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1answer
29 views

Legal implications of description vs claims

A theorethical patent situation: Claims include: 1. A machine comprising device type A and device type B arranged to achieve X. 2. A machine according to claim 1 in which device type A is an M. 3. ...
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1answer
24 views

Can a really broad claim like 'the top is made of plastic' cause an infringement?

I came up with an idea for which a device has already been patented which has some of these really broad claims. My design would be very different from the design in the patent, but at the end they ...
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2answers
41 views

System claim with method steps included by reference

The following claim was rejected by the USPTO examiner for mixing system and method: An online computer system comprising a processor configured to perform the steps of the method of claim 16. As ...
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2answers
68 views

Computer readable medium claim rejected by USPTO examiner

The following claim was rejected by the USPTO examiner for two reasons: For mixing a product and a method. The examiner also stated that the preamble says that this is an independent claim which ...
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1answer
21 views

can claims of another patent overlap with product?

I'd like to point out I have zero experience with patents. I am a student engineer who is looking to develop a product. A company has already filed a patent for a very similar product. In claim 1 ...
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3answers
107 views

Is the phrase “none or more” acceptable in a USPTO patent claim?

The Examiner has objected to three of the claims in a patent application I have filed, due to the presence of the phrase "none or more" and requires it to be corrected to "one or more". The claim is ...
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3answers
60 views

Is it possible for patents to have trade secrets?

Is it possible to omit miscellanous or detailed mechanisms which directly depend on the main mechanism of an invention from a patent. e.g. say A is the main mechanism for an invention, B mechanism ...
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1answer
45 views

If a product doesnt meet one claim of a patent, would it get patent infringement notice?

If there is a patent for a product that has 16 claims and I sell a similar product and my product falls under 15 claims of the patented product but not the 16th claim then is it sellable? Or would I ...
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2answers
70 views

Claims - Tangible difference between system claims and method claims - 101 thoughts

Does a system claim which state tangible items, for example "processor configured to" help satisfy the "practical application" aspect of the new guidelines which were released in January 2019? I am ...
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1answer
25 views

Is there any fee for amending claims before the publication in USPTO?

My USPTO non-provisional application is not published yet. It contains 1 independent claim and 19 dependant claims. I would like to remove some dependent claims and then add some new claims. The ...
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3answers
61 views

Claiming various solutions to solving the same problem

if my invention includes various solutions to solving the same problem such that all solutions are independent of each other, how should I claim such an invention?
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1answer
39 views

Is a claim containing two alternatives valid?

Is this claim valid or is this an example of alternative claiming of one or more species. 2. A method of claim 1 further comprising: enforcing at least one of: application rights, application ...
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0answers
28 views

Non-Elected, Rejected and Objected claims, and reviving the abandoned patent

I followed my patent application after 3 years and found that it is abandoned. The abandonment report mentioned that patent has been abandoned because "No reply has been received". The final claim ...
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2answers
50 views

Can claim preamble contain terms not present in specification?

I would like to use the term "non pliable" in the claim preamble which does not appear in the specification. However the term "pliable" does appear in the specification but is not specifically defined....
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2answers
65 views

Is it necessary for a national application to claim priority to the PCT application to get the provisional protection?

A week back, I got a very good answer regarding PCT provisional protection. I have a related question. Is it necessary for a national application to claim priority to the PCT application to get the ...
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2answers
72 views

How to delimit the last element in a list of means?

The claim 2 has a list of means that apply to "the object" but it may be misconstrued that the last element in the list is not "intercepting" but rather "intercepting the object" in which case the ...
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1answer
33 views

Can a claim “wherein” clause contain past tense?

I have a claim like this. 1. A method for ....., the method comprising: providing X for a user; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user was instructed to do X The claim 2 contains the ...
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1answer
20 views

Is this a common practice to amend a claim by striking through every word in the original claim?

Is this a common practice to amend a claim by striking through the entire text of the claim and introducing completely new text, instead canceling the claim and introducing a new claim. I mean no word ...
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2answers
54 views

Nested Claim Construction (US patent practice)

How do you separate the sections of nested method claims to avoid misinterpretation. Claim 1. A method for doing something the method comprising: making square widget comprising: petting the ...
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1answer
47 views

Can an inventive step included in the “wherein” clause?

I have a process that performs the same steps as prior art. However my "wherein" part is completely unique. Will it be considered as a valid independent claim?
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1answer
43 views

Should I use “and” or “or” for “at least one of” structure when only two items involved?

From my understanding, when we use the phrase like "at least one of A, B, C and D", it means AD, BD, CD, ABD, BCD etc. i.e. D is mandatory "at least one of A, B, C or D" means any single item or any ...
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3answers
42 views

Should I file a design patent on a different embodiment of a utility patent?

After filing a utility patent a simpler embodiment of the invention came to mind as a separate product. The simpler embodiment is covered in the first claim only since the dependent claims define the ...
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1answer
42 views

Is there any consequences if I don't amend claims properly before the PCT deadline?

PCT application claims can be amended one time via Article 19 and 34. From my understanding, one can amend claims in the national phase. So what is the point of having limitation in PCT? In US, one ...
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2answers
38 views

Is this patent US only?

I'm unclear on what does patent US D781711S claim & specifically in which region. I've talked with some mates that have studied patent law & they seem as puzzled as me. Anyone care to help? ✌️
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25 views

What is the proper way to cover alternative methods in claims?

I do understand the transitional phrase "comprising" is a broad one. A method comprising Step 1 The above method is infringed as long as step 1 is executed. But how do I protect when an equivalent ...
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2answers
79 views

What is the proper way to file both USPTO and PCT application?

I have two USPTO Provisional Applications. I'm about to file a USPTO non-provisional by claiming priority to those two Provisionals. I'm also planning to file a PCT application. The specification, ...
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1answer
25 views

When exactly patents fall under double-patenting?

I have an omnibus specification and I want to split it into multiple patents at a later point. I'm little afraid that accidentally I'll double patent my work. So I just need some clarification. I ...
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1answer
53 views

What happen to a “at least one of” claim when one of the item found to be invalid due to a prior art?

A system, comprises at least one of: A B C B becomes invalid after patent get granted and someone proves that in court. 1) Does this make the entire claim invalid or only the ...
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1answer
38 views

What is the minimum number of step required in an independent claim?

Can an independent claim can have only one non-obvious inventive step? e.g. A system comprising: Obvious step Inventive step Obvious step Can it be like this to make it broad? A ...
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1answer
39 views

Is amending an independent claim in an amendment fully responsive to dependent claim rejections?

As in the title, if an examiner rejects claims 1 and 2, with claim 2 being dependent on claim 1, would amending only claim 1 be fully responsive to the office action? For example, Claim 1: A Z ...
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1answer
36 views

Can a patent owner add more claims by requesting re-examination?

I found a prior art which contains the base part of my invention. It's a granted patent published 5 years back. My patent claims will be narrow to avoid rejection. Can this patent owner, apply for ...
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1answer
50 views

Can someone infringe my invention by reordering the steps?

My claims looks like this A system for X comprising: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Can someone infringing my invention by reordering the steps? A system for X comprising: ...

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