bailmentAn agreement under which the bailee/licensee is permitted to use the tangible property of the bailor/ licensor under defined terms and conditions.
Balance SheetA financial statement showing the nature and amount of a company's assets, liabilities and shareholders' equity.
Ballisticsbranch of physics that deals with the flights of projectiles.
BallotEither in paper form or electronic, the mechanism for voters to show their vote preferences.
BandwidthThe amount of information or data that can be sent over a network connection in a given period of time.
BankruptcyThe legal proceedings by which the affairs of a bankrupt person are turned over to a trustee or receiver for administration under the bankruptcy laws.
bankruptcy administratorAn officer of the judiciary serving in the judicial districts of Alabama and North Carolina who, like the U.S.
bankruptcy administratorsHandle administrative matters in bankruptcy cases in Alabama and North Carolina; appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals; take the place of U.S. trustees.
Bankruptcy appellate panels (BAPS)In the circuits that have them, BAPs share the appellate role of the district court in bankruptcy filings; composed of three bankruptcy judges.
Bankruptcy CodeThe informal name for title 11 of the United States Code (11 U.S.C. §§ 101-1330), the federal bankruptcy law.
bankruptcy courtThe bankruptcy judges in regular active service in each district; a unit of the district court.
bankruptcy estateAll legal or equitable interests of the debtor in property at the time of the bankruptcy filing.
Bankruptcy JudgeA judicial officer of the United States district court who is the court official with decision-making power over federal bankruptcy cases.
Bankruptcy lawThe area of federal law dealing with bankrupt persons or businesses.
bankruptcy petitionThe document filed by the debtor (in a voluntary case) or by creditors (in an involuntary case) by which opens the bankruptcy case.
Bar1. Historically, the partition separating the general public from the space occupied by the judges, lawyers and other participants in a trial. 2.
bar codeA small pattern of vertical lines that can be read by a laser or an optical scanner.
bar dateDate set by the court for filing objections to pleadings.
Bar examinationA state examination taken by prospective lawyers in order to be admitted and licensed to practice law.
Bar, StatutoryA circumstance that prevents (bars) issuance of a valid patent. MPEP 2133.
Base ClaimA claim from which another claim depends, either directly or indirectly. MPEP 608.01(n).
Base offense levelThe raw number or point score assigned by the sentencing guidelines to each offense.
base paircombination of 2 nucleotides (A and T or G and C) held together by weak hydrogen bonds; the DNA double helix is formed when a base pair of nucleotides in…
baselineAn initial measurement that is taken at an early time point to represent a beginning condition, and is used for comparison over time to look for changes.
Basic De-duplicationperformed on a select and limited basis, such as for file names and types, and is usually based on the hash value of the entire electronic document.
Basic PatentThe first member of a "family" of patents (which may or may not be the first member published).
batch processingThe processing of a large amount of data, or multiple records, in a single step.
Bates NumberSequential numbering used to track documents and images in production data sets, where each page is identified by a unique production number.
Bates Production NumberA bates production number is a tracking number assigned to each page of each document in the production set.
BatteryA beating or wrongful physical violence. The threat to use force is an "assault;" the actual use of force is a battery, which usually includes an assault.
Baud RateThe number of times per second a communications channel changes the carrier signal it sends on a phone line.
BBS (Bulletin Board System)A computer system or service that users access to participate in electronic discussion groups, post messages and/or download files.
BCSBoston Computer Society, one of the first associations of PC/Apple users and one of the largest and most active.
BenchThe seat occupied by the judge. More broadly, the court itself.
bench trialTrial without a jury in which a judge decides the facts.
Bench warrantAn order issued by a judge for the arrest of a person.
BeneficiaryA person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract.
benefit claimthe claiming by an applicant in a nonprovisional application of a benefit of an invention disclosed in a prior-filed copending (under examination at the…
Bibliographical/Objective CodingExtracting objective information from electronic documents such as date created, author/recipient/copies, and associating the information with a specific…
BileA fluid made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile is excreted into the small intestine, where it helps digest fat.
BillYour bill is the statement of your account. Your bill will tell you the total amount that you owe us as of the end of the last billing period.
binaryMathematical base 2, or numbers composed of a series of zeros and ones. Since zero's and one's can be easily represented by two voltage levels on an…
binding precedentA prior decision by a court that must be followed without a compelling reason or significantly different facts or issues.
bio-sequence listingsa document that must be included only if a nucleotide or amino acid sequence is part of the invention.
Biological MaterialMaterial referenced in the disclosure of a patent application that is capable of self-replicating, either direclty or indirectly.
BIOS (Basic Input Output System)The set of user-independent computer instructions stored in a computers ROM, immediately available to the computer when the computer is turned on.
BitA bit ( B inary dig IT ) is the smallest unit of computer data. A bit consists of either 0 or 1. There are eight bits in a byte.
Bit MapA Bit Map provides information on the placement and color of individual bits and allows the creation of characters or images by creating a picture…
Bit Stream BackupBit stream backups, also referred to as mirror image backups, are comprised of the backup of all areas of a computer hard disk drive or another type of…
blackout periodthe period between the date the examining attorney approves the mark for publication and the date of issuance of the Notice of Allowance.
Blind or Double-Blind Sample Techniquea type of proficiency testing where the member is not aware that the sample/case under analysis is a quality assessment sample.
BlogBlogs, also referred to as Web logs, are frequent, chronological Web publications consisting of links and postings.
Blood borne pathogenspathogenic microorganisms in blood or other body fluids that can cause disease in people.
Bloodstaintransfer resulting when liquid blood comes into contact with a surface.
BMPA Windows file format for storing bit map images.
BondA long-term debt instrument with the promise to pay a specified amount of interest and to return the principal amount on a specified maturity date.
BookingThe process of photographing, fingerprinting and recording identifying data of a suspect. This process follows the arrest.
bookmarkA link to a Web site or page previously visited.
BooleanBoolean logic (named for the British-born Irish mathematician George Boole) is way to express relationships in logic arguments using the following three…
Boolean SearchThe term 'Boolean' refers to a system of logic developed by an early computer pioneer, George Boole.
Boot SectorThe very first sector on a hard drive which contains the computer code (boot strap loader) necessary for the computer to start up and the partition table…
Bound supplementA supplement to a book or books which updates the material in permanent form. See pocket part.
bountya reward offered for a piece of fugitive information.
bounty hunterinformation holders and sharers. People who respect and appreciate the power and value of knowledge.
bounty posterinformation seekers. People looking for a valuable piece of fugitive information and willing to pay a generous reward for its location.
Brady materialIn Brady v. Maryland, the Supreme Court held that evidence or other information known to the prosecution which is material to a case and favorable to the…
Breach1. The breaking or violating of a law, right or duty, either by an act or omission. 2. The failure to carry out any condition of a contract.
Breach of contractAn unjustified failure to perform under the terms of a contract when performance is due.
BriefA written statement submitted by the lawyer for each side in a case that explains to the judges why they should decide the case or a particular part of a…
BRMbusiness reference model - an organized, hierarchical way to describe the day-to-day business operations of the Federal government; this model presents…
broad claimA statement in a patent describing extensive variations of the invention. Such a statement usually includes a broad range of alternatives by its…
BroadbandCommunications of high capacity and usually of multimedia content.
BrowserAn application, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, used to view and navigate the World Wide Web and other Internet resources.
Budget AuthorityAuthority provided by law to enter into obligations that will result in outlays of Federal funds.
budget resolutionLegislation in the form of a concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget.
BugA problem with computer software or hardware that causes it to malfunction or crash.
Burden of proofIn the law of evidence, the necessity or duty of affirmatively proving a fact or facts in dispute on an issue raised between the parties in a lawsuit.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)A federal law enforcement agency that investigates cases involving alleged violations of federal gun laws, arson, illegal use of explosives, and illegal…
Bureau of PrisonsResponsible for operating and developing correctional institutions for federal criminal defendants who are ordered into the custody of the Attorney…
BurnSlang for making (burning) a CD-ROM copy of data, whether it is music, software, or other data.