Glossary

AuthorAusten Zuege
Pages503-508
Glossary
blocking patent: A patent having one or more claims that prevent
someone from practicing the claims of another patent because the
other patent relies on technology covered by the first (blocking) pat-
ent. A blocking patent is sometimes also referred to as a dominant
patent. A later patent that is blocked by a blocking patent is called a
subordinate patent.
claim chart: A structured, limitation-by-limitation analysis of the
claim limitations of a patent, especially in comparison to other doc-
uments or products. A claim chart breaks down at least some of a
patent’s claims into a series of distinct limitations (or elements), and
separately analyzes the scope or significance of each limitation. There
is no universal or standard layout for claim charts, but they are usu-
ally in a table format with claim limitations on the left and one or
more columns on the right with quotes, citations, and other notations
related to particular prior art documents (for validity or patentability
analysis) or proposed products (for infringement analysis) to facilitate
a side-by-side comparison. Claim charts are commonly used to help
develop a strategy for risk management.
class codes: Alphanumeric designations for groups and subgroup-
ings to classify patent documents based on the technical subject mat-
ter of the patent documents’ contents, generally the claimed subject
matter. Patent classifications follow a particular classification system,
such as the International Patent Classification (IPC) system or the
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system. Each patent docu-
ment may have several class codes, denoting the presence of multiple
categories of technical subject matter.
clearance: See “freedom-to-operate.”
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