Law - Definitions/Glossary

Provide definitions for any terms that have meanings other than their normal dictionary definitions or the meanings that courts have given them. Questions about the terminology used in a patent application usually arise when the term is used in a claim. Defining terms can be a helpful way to eliminate the need to repeat information in the body of the application (called the specification) and/or the claims.

Warning! When you define a term used in a patent application, the term means only that. This can be a disadvantage if the term would have otherwise meant something more favorable to you (to the hypothetical "person with ordinary skill in the art") in the absence of the definition.

When a patent application is filed, this information will become a part of the Summary of the Invention section.

The position of the USPTO on this issue is described in the following section(s) of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP):

MPEP 608.01(o) - Basis for Claim Terminology in Description
MPEP 2173.01 - Claim Terminology
MPEP 2173.05(a) - New Terminology
MPEP 2173.05(b) - Relative Terminology


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