- Abandoned: Patent applications may be abandoned if the patentee does not reply to an office action in a timely manner. When an application is abandoned, the process is concluded with the rejection of the application.
- Abstract: Brief summary describing the of the invention.
- Amendment: A modification of a patent application. The specification, cliams, or abstract may be amended.
- Application publication: The formally published patent application. This typically happens 18 months after application or the earliest claimed priority date.
- Claim: A statement that define an element of an invention. All patent applications must include at least one claim.
- Independent claim: A statement defining an invention without referring to another claim.
- Example from US 11800882 B2: 1. A method of producing a high protein dried distiller's grains with solubles (HP-DDGS) protein concentrate comprising: a. forming a mash with an aqueous medium containing plant material comprising DDGS; b. transferring the resulting mash to one or more bioreactors; c. inoculating the mash in the one or more bioreactors with at least one microbe, wherein said at least one microbe releases one or more cellulose degrading enzymes and at least one peptidase into the mash, whereby said microbe converts plant materials into biomass; d. separating the inoculated material into supernatant and solids fractions via centrifugation; and e. drying said solids, wherein the resulting HP-DDGS protein concentrate comprises microbes, exopolysaccharides and has a protein content of greater than 32% in the absence of distillation.
- Dependent claim: A statement that further clarifies an independent claim.
- Example from US 11800882 B2: 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the solids are optionally washed and re-exposed to centrifugation prior to drying.
- Multiply dependent claim: A statement that depends on more than one other claim.
- Example from US 11800882 B2: 16. A composition comprising the concentrate produced by the method of claim 1 or claim 13.
- Disclosure: Often interchanged with Specification. Description of an invention.
- Drawings: Line drawings or photographs included to help describe the invention.
- Final office action: A formal written rejection of a patent given after prior office actions. After the "final" office action, an applicant has the right to file an appeal to the Board of patent Appeals and Interferences or submitting another written response to the rejection.
- Grant: Synonymous with "Issue". The publication of the patent with the date on which the patentee can begin enforcing the patent.
- Information material to patentability: Information that compels a decision that an application is unpatentable.
- Infringement: The unauthorized making, using, offering to sell, selling, or importing into the United States any patented invention.
- License: A legal document by which the owner of a patent grants to another party the right to practice the patented invention without the patent owner giving up ownership.
- Maintenance fee: Fee to the US Patent and Trademark Office required to maintain a patent.
- Non-obviousness: An invention must not be obvious based on previously known technology to be patentable.
- Novelty: Invention must be distinctly different from any inventions.
- Obviousness: The invention is deemed to be obvious from existing technology making the invention unpatentable.
- Prior art: Document or other evidence previous to the patent application used in the evaluation of a patent application for patentability.
- Priority: The current patent application may claim an earlier date based on a foreign patent or a previous US patent application.
- Provisional application: An early patent application requiring less stringent formalities and allowing the applicant 1 year to file a full patent application. The regular patent application can rely on the earlier date of the provisional application (priority).
- Provisional rights: Provides limited patent rights for the period between the provisional application and the date of issue of a full patent.
- Rejection: Declaration that an invention is not patentable for a specified reason(s).
- Specification: Often interchanged with Disclosure. Description of an invention.
US 11800882 B2: Gibbons, W. & Brown M.L., 2023, Microbial-based Process for high Quality Protein Concentrate, US 11800882 B2, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, https://ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/11800882