certification markany word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce by someone other than its owner, to certify regional or…
change of nameSometimes, owners of trademark applications and registrations change their names, even though the actual ownership of the application or registration has…
Chapter Ithe first, mandatory phase under the Patent Cooperation Treaty that includes performance of an international-type search, issuance of an International…
Chapter IIthe second, optional phase under the Patent Cooperation Treaty that includes examination of the international application and issuance of an International…
CIPContinuation-in-Part an application filed during the lifetime of an earlier nonprovisional application, repeating some substantial portion or all of the…
CISThe CIS is the National Cancer Institute's link to the public, interpreting and explaining research findings in a clear and understandable manner, and…
Citation1. The written reference to legal authorities, precedents, reported cases, etc., in briefs or other legal documents. 2.
ClaimYour request for the insurance company to pay you an amount under the terms of your policy.
claim(s)A claim is one of the numbered paragraphs that appear at the end of a patent and defines the scope of protection given to the owner of the patent (i.e.
Claim, DependentA claim that refers back to and further limits or restricts the breadth of another claim.
Claim, GenericA claim that describes ("reads on") a generic form of an invention. A generic claim generally reads on all the claimed species of an invention. MPEP 806.
Claim, IndependentA claim that does not reference (depend from) another claim. MPEP 608.01(i).
Claim, JepsonA form of a claim with a preamble that describes what is known in the art followed by a transitional phrase such as "the improvement comprising" and then…
Claim, MarkushA form of a claim that allows claiming of members of a finite group by means of a phrase like "a member selected from the group consisting of" followed by…
Claim, Multiple DependentA claim that refers back to and depends from more than one other claim. The other claims may be refered to in the alternative only. MPEP 608.01(n).
Claim, PictureA claim that sets forth an invention in great detail. Also called a Specific Claim.
Claim, ProcessA claim that recites the steps of a process. The process may be a method of making something, a process of operating something or a process of using…
Claim, ProductA claim that recites the elements or features of a product (i.e., a machine, an article of manufacture or a composition of matter).
Claim, SpeciesA claim that describes ("reads on") a species of an invention. A generic claim generally reads on all the claimed species of an invention. MPEP 806.04(d).
Claimed InventionThe invention that the inventor(s) claim to have invented and for which he/she/they seek patent protection.
claimsdefine the invention and are what aspects are legally enforceable. The specification must conclude with a claim particularly pointing out and distinctly…
Classificationpatents are classified (organized) in the U.S. by a system using a 3 digit class and a 3 digit subclass to describe every similar grouping of patent art.
classification of goods and servicesGoods and services are classified by an international system, according to international treaties to which the United States is a signatory.
coinventoran inventor who is named with at least one other inventor in a patent application, wherein each inventor contributes to the conception (creation) of the…
collective marka trademark or service mark used, or intended to be used, in commerce, by the members of a cooperative, an association, or other collective group or…
Colorable DeviationA small change (in a product or process) from what is claimed that is made soley for the purpose of avoiding literal infringement of the claim.
combination patenta patent granted for an invention that unites existing components in a novel way
combining prior artUnder Section 102 of the U.S. Patent Statute, a claim must be identically disclosed in a single prior-art reference in order to be rejected as being…
common inventoran inventor whose name is listed on multiple patent applications or granted patents, making the inventions at least partially the work of the same person.
common law rightsproperty or other legal rights that do not absolutely require formal registration in order to enforce them.
Completion of InventionConception and reduction to practice of an invention. Also called "making an invention".
composed of(used when defining the scope of a claim) A transitional phrase that is interpreted in the same manner as either "consisting of" or "consisting…
Composition of MatterAn invention in which the substance and not the form or shape is the inventive subject matter. Under U.S. law, one of the statutory classes of inventions.
comprising(used when defining the scope of a claim) A transitional phrase that is synonymous with (means the same thing as) "including," "containing" or…
conception(kun-SEP-shun) In biology, the beginning of pregnancy, marked by fertilization of an egg by a sperm.
confirmation numbera four-digit number that is assigned to each newly filed patent application. The confirmation number, in combination with the application number, is used…
CONFUConference on Fair Use -- see National Information Infrastructure Report on Intellectual Property Rights for more
consisting essentially ofA transitional phrase that limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel…
Consisting ofa transitional phrase that is closed (only includes exactly what is stated) and excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim.
constructive reduction to practiceA reduction to practice involves physical verification of the operability of the invention or its suitability for its intended purpose. When one files a U.
Contemporaneously witnessedObserved or read and understood by a witness who is not one of the inventors at the time the event occurred.
continuationa second application for the same invention claimed in a prior nonprovisional application and filed before the first application becomes abandoned or…
continued use-- see Section 8 Declaration of Continued Use
continuing applicationa continuation, divisional, or continuation-in-part patent application
contracting partyA country or intergovernmental organization that is a member of the Madrid Protocol.
Contracting Statea national Office or an intergovernmental organization which is party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
contributory infringementSelling a part of a patented product or a material for use in practicing a patented process that is especially adapted for the patented product or…
Control No.unique number assigned to a patent reexamination request when it is filed, having a 2-digit series code (90 for ex parte reexamination requests; 95 for…
ConventionAn official meeting of the delegates of a political party at which the delegates decide upon their party platform and take other party-related actions.
Convention, EPCThe European Patent Convention. An agreement among countries in Europe establishing a system of filing and examination of a single patent application in a…
Copending Application or CopendencyA patent application that is pending (not abandoned or issued) at the same time another, related patent application is pending.
copyingThis generally refers to an infringer copying from a patented product, apparatus, composition, or process and may enhance evidence of infringement.
copyrightThe 1976 Copyright Act permits the owner of a copyright to prevent others from reproducing, displaying, performing, or distributing ideas expressed in a…
copyrightsprotect works of authorship, such as writings, music, and works of art that have been tangibly expressed.
Corresponding Foreign ApplicationAn international patent application or a regional or national patent application or inventor's certificate filed in a country other than the U.S.
CorroborationEvidence provided by other than an inventor that shows that an important event occurred when the inventor said it did. MPEP 2138.01.
COTScommercial off-the-shelf an acquisition term refering to commercially available ready to use products that require no customization in order to meet…
CountAn indictment may contain allegations that the defendant has committed more than one crime. Each allegation must be listed separately.
counterpartan application filed in a foreign patent office that is substantially similar to (like) the patent application filed with the USPTO and is based upon some…
Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (CCPA)The historical court that reviewed USPTO decisions and decided customs cases, that was replaced by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
CPAContinued Prosecution Application a continuation or divisional application filed in a design application under 37 CFR 1.53(d)* -- see MPEP 201.
CPICcapital planning and investment control Envisioned in the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, OMB Circular A-130 (Management of Federal Information Resources) and…
critical dateThis refers to the date of the initial placing on sale, publication, or public or commercial use of an invention. At the end of the one-year period, a U.S.
Cross LicenseA license between two patent owners wherein each licenses its patent(s) to the other.
cross referenceA reference (issued patent) in another class or subclass, or a reference made in a later-filed patent application to a related, earlier-filed application.
crowded artThis refers to an area of technology in which there have been a large number of prior inventions.
CSSCascading Style Sheet - a technology used for webpages to format fonts and control layouts on the computer display.
current filing basisIn applications under §§1 and 44 of the Trademark Act, the applicant may claim more than one basis, and may add or substitute a basis after filing the…
customer number(previously referred to as "payor number") - a number assigned by the Office that is used to simplify the submission of an address change, to appoint a…
date of applicationThe date upon which duly executed application papers are received in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
date of patentThe effective date of the patent. It is the date of printing of notice of the patent grant in the Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
deada dead or abandoned status for a trademark application means that specific application is no longer under prosecution within the USPTO, and would not be…
deceased inventora named inventor who has died prior to the filing of a patent application or during the prosecution of a patent application. -- see 37 CFR 1.
declarationa document in which an applicant for patent declares, under penalty of fine or imprisonment, or both (18 USC 1001), that (1) he or she is the original or…
DedicationAn express or implied surrender to the public of an actual or potential patent right. MPEP 1490, MPEP 2138.03.
dedication to the publicA document signed by a patent owner filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office giving up all patent rights.
Defensive PublicationPublication of the abstract of the technical disclosure of a pending patent application if the applicant waived his or her rights to an enforceable patent.
DefinitenessA characteristic of a patent claim in which claim language makes the scope of the claim clear to a person skilled in the art to which the invention…
DemandForm PCT/IPEA/401, filed with an International Preliminary Examining Authority, demanding that an international application shall be the subject of an…
dependent claima claim that refers back to (depends on) and further limits a preceding dependent or independent claim.
deposit accountan account that is established in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), upon payment of a fee for establishing such an account, for the…
DepositionAn oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths.
descriptive markA mark is considered merely descriptive if it describes an ingredient, quality, characteristic, function, feature, purpose or use of the specified goods…
design patentmay be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture -- see also patent