withdrawn claima non-elected claim "Withdrawn" is the status identifier that should be used for claims that were not elected (chosen by the applicant to remain under…
withdrawn patentan allowed application for patent in which the applicant files correspondence to withdraw the patent from issue; ;thus preventing it from issuing on the…
WithholdingWithholding is the amount that employers subtract from their employees' gross pay for a variety of taxes and benefits, including Social Security and…
Without prejudiceA declaration that no rights or privileges of the party concerned are waived or lost.
witnessOne who personally sees or perceives a thing; one who testifies as to what he has seen, heard, or otherwise observed.
work-for-hireWhen one is specifically hired to complete a task, such as write a discrete computer program, the resulting product is said to be a Work-for-Hire and thus…
Worked or WorkingThe condition of having met a country's requirement that an invention be put to use in some way.
Worker's CompensationAn insurance plan that employers are required to have to cover employees who get sick or injured on the job.
workflowthe "flow of work" Workflow diagrams are a formal way to identify procedural steps and the logic employed in a process used to complete a task or job.
workflow incoming amendment IFWfrom Public PAIR/IFW - designates the point in time when an amendment is received in the Office and the paper scanning process may be started at the…
Workflow, Ad HocA simple manual process by which documents can be moved around a multi-user review system on an as-needed basis.
Workflow, Rule-BasedA programmed series of automated steps that route documents to various users on a multi-user review system.
WorkgroupA group of computer users connected to share individual talents and resources as well as computer hardware and software often to accomplish a team goal.
workoutArrangement between debtor and creditor to satisfy a debt.
World Wide WebThe WWW is made up of all of the computers on the Internet which use HTML-capable software (Netscape, Explorer, etc.) to exchange data.
WORM (Write Once Read Many)Data storage devices (e.g. CD-ROMs) where the space on the discs can only be written once. The data is permanently stored.
WORM DiscsWrite Once Read Many Discs. A popular archival storage media during the 1980s. Acknowledged as the first optical discs, they are primarily used to store…
writ of certiorariAn order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.
Writ of executionAn order of the court evidencing debt of one party to another and commanding the court officer to take property in satisfaction of the debt.
Writ of garnishmentAn order of the court whereby property, money, or credits in the possession of another person may be seized and applied to pay a debtor's debt.
Writ of Recovery of Premises and Order to VacateThis is the order, issued by the Court Administrator when ordered by the Court, directed to the Hennepin County Sheriff to compel someone to vacate…
Writ of RestitutionNow called Writ of Recovery. See entry for Writ of Recovery of Premises and Order to Vacate.
Written DescriptionA description (disclosure) of an invention that is written in a patent application.
WTOWorld Trade Organization -- see MORE INFO about International Intellectual Property protection
WWWWorld Wide Web. The WWW is made up of all of the computers on the Internet which use HTML-capable software (Netscape, Explorer, etc.) to exchange data.
WYSIWYGWhat You See Is What You Get Display and software technology which shows on the computer screen exactly what will print.
X patentIn the 46 years prior to the Great Fire of 1836, the United States government had issued about 10,000 patents.
yeas and naysA Senator who wants a roll call vote on a pending question asks for the "yeas and nays" on the question.
YieldYield is most commonly associated with a money market fund's return. "Current Yield" is based on daily return, "Effective Yield" on the annual compounded…
yield the floorA Senator who has been recognized to speak yields the floor when he or she completes his or her remarks and terminates his or her recognition.
yield timeWhen the Senate has reached a unanimous consent agreement limiting the time for debate and placing it under the control of floor managers, a Senator may…
ZIPAn open standard for compression and decompression used widely for PC download archives.
Zip DrivesA brand-name magnetic storage device that can hold between 100 and 250 megabytes of data.
Zone OCRAn add-on feature of the imaging software that populates document templates by reading certain regions or zones of a document, and then placing the text…
Zoning CommissionLocal agencies with jurisdiction to regulate use of properties within their geographic area.