CHAPTER 2 Outline

• Jurisdiction: United States

CHAPTER 2

Patent Claims

§2.01 Introduction

[A] Statutory Basis: 35 U.S.C. §112(b)

[B] The Paramount Role of Patent Claims

[C] Definition of a Patent Claim

[D] Public Notice Function

[E] Peripheral Versus Central Claiming

[F] Fundamentals of Patent Claim Construction

[1] "Own Lexicographer" Rule

[2] Default Rule: "Ordinary and Customary" Meaning

[3] Claim Interpretation in the USPTO: "Broadest Reasonable Construction" Rule

§2.02 Components of Patent Claims

[A] Preamble

[1] Introduction

[2] Preamble Language as Claim Limiting

[B] Transition

[1] "Comprising"

[2] "Consisting of"

[3] "Consisting Essentially of"

[4] Other Transition Terminology

[C] Body

§2.03 Dependent Patent Claims

[A] Statutory Basis: 35 U.S.C. §§112(c)-(e)

[B] Claim Groupings

[C] Multiple Dependent Claims

[D] Claim Differentiation Principle

§2.04 Claim Definiteness Requirement

[A] Statutory Basis: 35 U.S.C. §112(b)

[B] Perspective for Determining Claim Definiteness

[C] Definiteness Standard: Nautilus v. Biosig (U.S. 2014)

[D] Representative Examples of Definite and Indefinite Claim Terms

[1] Representative Examples of Definite Claim Terms

[a] Orthokinetics (1986)

[b] Verve, LLC (2002)

[c] Young (2007)

[d] Hearing Components (2010)

[e] Nautilus III (2014)

[f] Sonix (2017)

[g] One-E-Way (2017)

[2] Representative Examples of Indefinite Claim Terms

[a] Datamize (2005)

[b] Interval Licensing (2014)

[c] Teva III (2015)

[d] Dow Chemical II (2015)

[e] IBSA Institute Biochimique (2020)

[E] Judicial Correction of Harmless Errors in Claims

[F] Use of Antecedent Basis in Patent Claims

[G] Indefiniteness Standard in the USPTO

[H] Extending the Definiteness Requirement to Non-Recited Properties

§2.05 Specialized Claiming Formats

[A] Means-Plus-Function Claims

[1] Functional Claiming Generally

[2] Statutory Basis: 35 U.S.C. §112(f)

[3] The Interpretation and Scope of Means-Plus-Function Elements

[a] Scope-Narrowing

[b] Corresponding Structure

[c] Algorithms for Computer Structures

[d] "Equivalents Thereof"

[4] Presumptions Regarding "Means" Claim Elements

[a] Claim Elements Including the Word "Means"

[b] Claim Elements Not Including the Word "Means"

[B] Product-by-Process Claims

[C] Jepson Claims

[D] Markush Claims

[E] Beauregard Claims