Claim
A claim in a patent application is the legally binding portion of the patent application. An apparatus claim consists of a series of elements related to one another that describe the invention. A method claim consists of a series of steps that describe the novel method.
Continuation
A continuation is a patent application that depends from another patent application (called a parent application) that contains the same subject matter, but usually different claims. A continuation is required to have at least one inventor that is also an invention on the parent application. A continuation also has the same priority date as its parent application.
Continuation-in-Part
A continuation-in-part (CIP) is similar to a continuation except that there is some subject matter present in the CIP that is not present in the parent application.
Co-pending Application
Patent applications that are pending in the patent office at the same time are considered to be co-pending. A continuation or continuation-in-part are required to be co-pending with their parent application for at least one day.
..
..
Posted in: Glossary
