35 U.S.C. 121 — Divisional applications
Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024
[Editor Note: Applicable to any patent application filed on or after September 16, 2012. See 35 U.S.C. 121 (pre‑AIA) for the law otherwise applicable.]
If two or more independent and distinct inventions are claimed in one application, the Director may require the application to be restricted to one of the inventions. If the other invention is made the subject of a divisional application which complies with the requirements of section 120 it shall be entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the original application. A patent issuing on an application with respect to which a requirement for restriction under this section has been made, or on an application filed as a result of such a requirement, shall not be used as a reference either in the Patent and Trademark Office or in the courts against a divisional application or against the original application or any patent issued on either of them, if the divisional application is filed before the issuance of the patent on the other application. The validity of a patent shall not be questioned for failure of the Director to require the application to be restricted to one invention.
(Amended Jan. 2, 1975, Public Law 93-596, sec. 1, 88 Stat. 1949; Nov. 29, 1999, Public Law 106-113, sec. 1000(a)(9), 113 Stat. 1501A-582 (S. 1948 sec. 4732(a)(10)(A)); amended Sept. 16, 2011, Public Law 112-29, secs. 4(a) and 20(j) (effective Sept. 16, 2012), 125 Stat. 284.)
Cited authority
Cited by
- 101 General
- 102 Information as to Status of an Application
- 103 Right of Public To Inspect Patent Files and Some Application Files
- 1302.04 Examiner’s Amendments and Changes
- 1402 Grounds for Filing
- 1414.01 Reissue Oath or Declaration in Reissue Application Filed On or After September 16, 2012
- 1440 Examination of Reissue Application
- 1451 Divisional Reissue Applications; Continuation Reissue Applications Where the Parent is Pending
- 1481.03 Correction of 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35 U.S.C. 120 Benefits
- 1490 Disclaimers
- 1504.10 Priority Under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), 386(a) and (b)
- 1504.20 Benefit Under 35 U.S.C. 120
- 1893.03(c) The Priority Date, Priority Claim, and Priority Papers for a U.S. National Stage Application
- 201.01 National Applications
- 201.02 General Terms Used to Describe 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
- 201.07 Continuation Application
- 201.08 Continuation-in-Part Application
- 202 Cross-Noting
- 210 Priority to, or the Benefit of, the Filing Date of a Prior-Filed Application
- 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(a) Claiming the Benefit of a Provisional Application
- 211.01(b) Claiming the Benefit of a Nonprovisional Application
- 211.02 Reference to Prior Application(s)
- 211.03 Time Period for Making a Claim for Benefit Under 37 CFR 1.78
- 211.04 Delayed Benefit Claims
- 211.05 Sufficiency of Disclosure in Prior-Filed Application
- 2120 Rejection on Prior Art
- 213 Right of Priority of Foreign Application
- 213.03 Time for Filing U.S. Nonprovisional Application
- 2136.05(a) Antedating a Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e) Reference
- 2139 Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2139.03 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 214.03 Office Acknowledgement of Priority Claims
- 2148 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103
- 215 Certified Copy of Foreign Application
- 215.02 Time For Filing Certified Copy – Application Filed On or After March 16, 2013
- 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
- 2152.07 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2154.01(b) Determining When Subject Matter Was Effectively Filed Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(d)
- 2155 Use of Affidavits or Declarations Under 37 CFR 1.130 To Overcome Prior Art Rejections
- 2159.02 Applications Filed on or After March 16, 2013
- 2159.03 Applications Subject to the AIA but Also Containing a Claimed Invention Having an Effective Filing Date Before March 16, 2013
- 216.01 Perfecting Claim for Priority Under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f) After Issuance of a Patent
- 2258 Scope of Ex Parte Reexamination
- 2731 Period of Adjustment
- 2913 Relief from Prescribed Time Limits
- 2920.05(d) Foreign Priority
- 2920.05(e) Benefit Claims Under 35 U.S.C. 386(c)
- 402.02(a) Appointment in Application Filed On or After September 16, 2012
- 601 Content of Provisional and Nonprovisional Applications
- 601.01 Complete Application
- 601.05(a) Application Data Sheet (ADS) -- Application Filed On or After September 16, 2012
- 602.01(a) Inventor’s Oath or Declaration in Application Filed On or After September 16, 2012
- 602.09 Joint Inventors
- 701 Statutory Authority for Examination
- 706.07(g) Transitional After-Final Practice
- 707.05 Citation of References
- 715 Swearing Behind a Reference — Affidavit or Declaration Under 37 CFR 1.131(a)
- 717.01 Affidavit or Declaration Under 37 CFR 1.130
- 718 Affidavit or Declaration to Disqualify Commonly Owned Patent as Prior Art, 37 CFR 1.131(c)
- 719 File Wrapper
- 802 Basis for Restriction Practice in Statute and Rules
- 803.02 Election of Species Requirements – Markush Claims
- 804 Definition of Double Patenting
- 804.01 Prohibition of Nonstatutory Double Patenting Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 121
- 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
- 804.04 Submission to Technology Center Director
- 809.03 Restriction Between Linked Inventions
- 821.04(a) Rejoinder Between Product Inventions; Rejoinder Between Process Inventions
- 35 U.S.C. 100 (note) AIA First inventor to file provisions
- 35 U.S.C. 100 Definitions
- 35 U.S.C. 102 Conditions for patentability; novelty
- 35 U.S.C. 102 (pre-AIA) Conditions for patentability; novelty and loss of right to patent
- 35 U.S.C. 111 Application
- 35 U.S.C. 111 (pre-PLT (AIA)) Application
- 35 U.S.C. 115 Inventor’s oath or declaration
- 35 U.S.C. 121 (pre-AIA) Divisional applications
- 35 U.S.C. 135 Derivation proceedings
- 35 U.S.C. 135 (pre-AIA) Interferences
- 35 U.S.C. 154 Contents and term of patent; provisional rights
- 35 U.S.C. 291 Derived Patents
- 35 U.S.C. 291 (pre-AIA) Interfering patents
- 35 U.S.C. 372 National stage: Requirements and procedure
- 37 CFR 1.14 Patent applications preserved in confidence
- 37 CFR 1.32 Power of attorney
- 37 CFR 1.55 Claim for foreign priority
- 37 CFR 1.63 Inventor’s oath or declaration
- 37 CFR 1.76 Application data sheet
- 37 CFR 1.78 Claiming benefit of earlier filing date and cross-references to other applications
- 37 CFR 1.109 Effective filing date of a claimed invention under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
- 37 CFR 1.130 Affidavit or declaration of attribution or prior public disclosure under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
- 37 CFR 1.131 Affidavit or declaration of prior invention or to disqualify commonly owned patent or published application as prior art
- 37 CFR 1.175 Inventor’s oath or declaration for a reissue application
- 37 CFR 1.1051 Relief from prescribed time limits