35 U.S.C. 112 — Specification
Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024
[Editor Note: Applicable to any patent application filed on or after September 16, 2012. See 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre‑AIA) for the law otherwise applicable.]
- (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
- (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
- (c) FORM.—A claim may be written in independent or, if the nature of the case admits, in dependent or multiple dependent form.
- (d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
- (e) REFERENCE IN MULTIPLE DEPENDENT FORM.—A claim in multiple dependent form shall contain a reference, in the alternative only, to more than one claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A multiple dependent claim shall not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent claim. A multiple dependent claim shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the particular claim in relation to which it is being considered.
- (f) ELEMENT IN CLAIM FOR A COMBINATION.—An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
(Amended July 24, 1965, Public Law 89-83, sec. 9, 79 Stat. 261; Nov. 14, 1975, Public Law 94-131, sec. 7, 89 Stat. 691; amended Sept. 16, 2011, Public Law 112-29, sec. 4(c), 125 Stat. 284, effective Sept. 16, 2012.)
Cited authority
Cited by
- 1205 Appeal Brief
- 1205.02 Appeal Brief Content
- 1207.03(a) Determining Whether a Ground of Rejection is New
- 1302.01 General Review of Disclosure
- 1411.02 New Matter
- 1440 Examination of Reissue Application
- 1490 Disclaimers
- 1503.01 Specification
- 1503.02 Drawing
- 1504.01(a) Computer-Generated Electronic Images
- 1504.02 Novelty
- 1504.03 Nonobviousness
- 1504.04 Considerations Under 35 U.S.C. 112
- 1504.05 Restriction
- 1504.20 Benefit Under 35 U.S.C. 120
- 1601 Introduction: The Act, Scope, Type of Plants Covered
- 1605 Specification and Claim
- 1893.03(c) The Priority Date, Priority Claim, and Priority Papers for a U.S. National Stage Application
- 201 Types of Applications
- 201.01 National Applications
- 201.04 Provisional Application
- 201.06 Divisional Application
- 201.06(c) 37 CFR 1.53(b) and 37 CFR 1.63(d) Divisional-Continuation Procedure
- 201.06(d) 37 CFR 1.53(d) Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) Practice
- 201.08 Continuation-in-Part Application
- 210 Priority to, or the Benefit of, the Filing Date of a Prior-Filed Application
- 2103 Patent Examination Process
- 2106 Patent Subject Matter Eligibility
- 2106.05 Eligibility Step 2B: Whether a Claim Amounts to Significantly More
- 2106.05(a) Improvements to the Functioning of a Computer or To Any Other Technology or Technical Field
- 2106.05(d) Well-Understood, Routine, Conventional Activity
- 2106.07(a) Formulating a Rejection For Lack of Subject Matter Eligibility
- 2107 Guidelines for Examination of Applications for Compliance with the Utility Requirement
- 2107.01 General Principles Governing Utility Rejections
- 2107.02 Procedural Considerations Related to Rejections for Lack of Utility
- 2109 Inventorship
- 211 Claiming the Benefit of an Earlier Filing Date Under 35 U.S.C. 120 and 119(e)
- 211.01 Requirements Related to the Prior-Filed Application
- 211.01(b) Claiming the Benefit of a Nonprovisional Application
- 211.05 Sufficiency of Disclosure in Prior-Filed Application
- 2111 Claim Interpretation; Broadest Reasonable Interpretation
- 2111.01 Plain Meaning
- 2117 Markush Claims
- 2124 Exception to the Rule That the Reference Must be Prior Art
- 2133.02(a) Overcoming a Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b) Rejection Based on a Printed Publication or Patent
- 2133.03(e)(6) Permitted Experimental Activity and Testing
- 2136 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- 2136.03 Critical Reference Date
- 2136.05 Overcoming a Rejection Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- 2136.05(a) Antedating a Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e) Reference
- 2138.05 “Reduction to Practice”
- 2139.01 Effective Filing Date of a Claimed Invention Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2139.03 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2141.03 Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art
- 2143.03 All Claim Limitations Must Be Considered
- 2148 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103
- 2151 Overview of the Changes to 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 in the AIA
- 2152.01 Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention
- 2152.02(b) Described in a Printed Publication
- 2152.06 Overcoming a 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) Rejection
- 2154.01(b) Determining When Subject Matter Was Effectively Filed Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(d)
- 2154.02(c) Prior Art Exception Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) (Common Ownership or Obligation of Assignment)
- 2155.04 Enablement
- 2158.01 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 103
- 2159.02 Applications Filed on or After March 16, 2013
- 216 Entitlement to Priority
- 2161 Three Separate Requirements for Specification Under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2161.01 Computer Programming, Computer Implemented Inventions, and 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2162 Policy Underlying 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2163 Guidelines for the Examination of Patent Applications Under the 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, “Written Description” Requirement
- 2163.01 Support for the Claimed Subject Matter in Disclosure
- 2163.02 Standard for Determining Compliance With the Written Description Requirement
- 2163.03 Typical Circumstances Where Adequate Written Description Issue Arises
- 2163.04 Burden on the Examiner with Regard to the Written Description Requirement
- 2163.05 Changes to the Scope of Claims
- 2163.06 Relationship of Written Description Requirement to New Matter
- 2163.07(b) Incorporation by Reference
- 2164 The Enablement Requirement
- 2164.01(a) Undue Experimentation Factors
- 2164.01(c) How to Use the Claimed Invention
- 2164.02 Working and Prophetic Examples
- 2164.04 Burden on the Examiner Under the Enablement Requirement
- 2164.06(a) Examples of Enablement Issues-Missing Information
- 2164.06(c) Examples of Enablement Issues – Computer Programming Cases
- 2164.07 Relationship of Enablement Requirement to Utility Requirement of 35 U.S.C. 101
- 2164.08 Enablement Commensurate in Scope With the Claims
- 2164.08(a) Single Means Claim
- 2165 The Best Mode Requirement
- 2165.01 Considerations Relevant to Best Mode
- 2165.02 Best Mode Requirement Compared to Enablement Requirement
- 2166 Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 217 Incorporation by Reference Under 37 CFR 1.57(b)
- 2171 Two Separate Requirements for Claims Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2172 Subject Matter Which the Inventor or a Joint Inventor Regards as The Invention
- 2172.01 Unclaimed Essential Subject Matter
- 2173 Claims Must Particularly Point Out and Distinctly Claim the Invention
- 2173.01 Interpreting the Claims
- 2173.02 Determining Whether Claim Language is Definite
- 2173.04 Breadth Is Not Indefiniteness
- 2173.05 Specific Topics Related to Issues Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2173.05(a) New Terminology
- 2173.05(b) Relative Terminology
- 2173.05(c) Numerical Ranges and Amounts Limitations
- 2173.05(d) Exemplary Claim Language (“for example,” “such as”)
- 2173.05(e) Lack of Antecedent Basis
- 2173.05(f) Reference to Limitations in Another Claim
- 2173.05(g) Functional Limitations
- 2173.05(h) Alternative Limitations
- 2173.05(i) Negative Limitations
- 2173.05(j) Old Combination
- 2173.05(n) Multiplicity
- 2173.05(p) Claim Directed to Product-By- Process or Product and Process
- 2173.05(q) “Use” Claims
- 2173.05(r) Omnibus Claim
- 2173.05(u) Trademarks or Trade Names in a Claim
- 2173.05(v) Mere Function of Machine
- 2173.06 Practice Compact Prosecution
- 2174 Relationship Between the Requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First and Second Paragraphs
- 2175 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2181 Identifying and Interpreting a 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Sixth Paragraph Limitation
- 2183 Making a Prima Facie Case of Equivalence
- 2184 Determining Whether an Applicant Has Met the Burden of Proving Nonequivalence After a Prima Facie Case Is Made
- 2185 Related Issues Under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or (b) and Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First or Second Paragraphs
- 2186 Relationship to the Doctrine of Equivalents
- 2187 Form Paragraphs for Use Relating to 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Sixth Paragraph
- 2201 Introduction
- 2246 Decision Ordering Reexamination under 35 U.S.C. 304
- 2258 Scope of Ex Parte Reexamination
- 2303 Completion of Examination
- 2304.01(d) Sorting Claims
- 2304.02(d) Adequate Written Description
- 2304.04(b) Requiring a Claim
- 2403 Deposit of Biological Material
- 2407.01 In a Pending Application
- 2407.02 After a Patent Has Issued
- 2409 Viability of Deposit
- 2411.01 Rejections Based on Deposit Issue
- 2412.04 Use of Sequence Identifiers to Denote Sequences Disclosed in the Description, Drawings or Claims
- 2413.04 Requirements Regarding Incorporation By Reference of the “Sequence Listing XML”
- 2413.05 Presumptions Regarding Compliance
- 2417 Helpful Hints for Sequence Rules Compliance under WIPO Standard ST.26
- 2422.01 Nucleotide and/or Amino Acids Disclosures Requiring a “Sequence Listing”
- 2753 Application Contents
- 2802 Supplemental Examination
- 2809 Items of Information
- 2811 Content of Request for Supplemental Examination
- 2811.01 Detailed Explanation of the Relevance and Manner of Applying Each Item of Information
- 2816.03 Content of the Determination
- 2909 Contents of the International Design Application
- 2920.04(a) Specification
- 2920.04(b) Reproductions (Drawing Figures)
- 2920.05(a) Notification of Refusal
- 2920.05(c) Considerations Under 35 U.S.C. 112
- 506 Completeness of Original Application
- 601 Content of Provisional and Nonprovisional Applications
- 601.01 Complete Application
- 601.01(a) Nonprovisional Applications Filed Under 35 U.S.C. 111(a)
- 601.01(c) Conversion to or from a Provisional Application
- 601.01(e) Nonprovisional Application Filed Without at Least One Claim
- 608 Disclosure
- 608.01 Specification
- 608.01(l) Claims Present on the Application Filing Date
- 608.01(m) Form of Claims
- 608.01(n) Dependent Claims
- 608.01(p) Completeness of Specification
- 608.01(v) Marks Used in Commerce and Trade Names
- 608.02(a) New Drawing — When Replacement is Required Before Examination
- 608.04 New Matter
- 608.04(a) Matter Not Present in Specification, Claims, or Drawings on the Application Filing Date
- 701 Statutory Authority for Examination
- 702 Requisites of the Application
- 704.11(a) Examples of Information Reasonably Required
- 706 Rejection of Claims
- 706.03(c) [Reserved]
- 706.03(d) [Reserved]
- 706.03(e) [Reserved]
- 706.07(a) Final Rejection, When Proper on Second Action
- 707.07(j) State When Claims Are Allowable
- 707.07(l) Comment on Examples
- 708.01 List of Special Cases
- 708.02 Petition To Make Special
- 708.02(a) Accelerated Examination
- 708.02(b) Prioritized Examination
- 715.10 Review of Affidavit or Declaration for Evidence of Prior Public Use or Sale or Failure to Disclose Best Mode
- 716 Affidavits or Declarations Under 37 CFR 1.132 and Other Evidence Traversing Rejections
- 716.09 Sufficiency of Disclosure
- 717.01(a)(1) Evaluation of Declarations or Affidavits under 37 CFR 1.130(a)
- 717.01(b)(1) Evaluation of Declarations or Affidavits under 37 CFR 1.130(b)
- 803 Restriction — When Proper
- 803.02 Election of Species Requirements – Markush Claims
- 804 Definition of Double Patenting
- 804.02 Avoiding a Double Patenting Rejection
- 804.03 Commonly Owned Inventions of Different Inventive Entities; Non-Commonly Owned Inventions Subject to a Joint Research Agreement
- 808.02 Establishing Burden
- 809.02(a) Election of Species Required
- 817 Outline of Letter for Restriction Requirement
- 821.04(b) Rejoinder of Process Requiring an Allowable Product
- 35 U.S.C. 41 Patent fees; patent and trademark search systems
- 35 U.S.C. 111 Application
- 35 U.S.C. 111 (pre-PLT (AIA)) Application
- 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA) Specification
- 35 U.S.C. 119 Benefit of earlier filing date; right of priority
- 35 U.S.C. 120 Benefit of earlier filing date in the United States
- 35 U.S.C. 120 (pre-AIA) Benefit of earlier filing date in the United States
- 35 U.S.C. 162 Description, claim
- 35 U.S.C. 171 Patents for designs
- 35 U.S.C. 282 Presumption of validity; defenses
- 37 CFR 1.51 General requisites of an application
- 37 CFR 1.53 Application number, filing date, and completion of application
- 37 CFR 1.53 (pre-PLT (AIA)) Application number, filing date, and completion of application
- 37 CFR 1.57 Incorporation by reference
- 37 CFR 1.102 Advancement of examination
- 37 CFR 1.1024 The description
- 37 CFR 41.37 Appeal brief
- 37 CFR 41.67 Appellant’s brief
- 37 CFR 41.110 Filing claim information
- 37 CFR 41.201 Definitions
- 37 CFR 42.104 Content of petition
- 37 CFR 42.204 Content of petition
- 37 CFR 42.304 Content of petition
- 37 CFR 42.405 Content of petition