Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2006

Keywords

patents, patent claims

Comments

Published in Santa Clara Computer & High Technology Law Journal, v. 23, no. 1, 2006, p. 55-87.

Abstract

In general every patent claim is considered a separate invention. However, in certain instances, multiple claims are grouped together and the patentee’s rights are determined with respect to these “representative claims.” This article examines the representative claims procedure utilized in patent prosecution and litigation. The recent changes in the rules governing the appeals of a rejected patent claim before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences are highlighted first, followed by an examination of the use of representative claims in patent litigation and proposals for some guidelines for the selection of representative claims.

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