How to Read Patent Claims
Jan 25th, 2022 by Dilworth IP | Recent News & Articles |
Everyone knows that patents protect inventions. But did you know that only the “claims” section of a patent—oftentimes less than a page in length—exclusively defines what’s legally protected? Put simply, if it’s not in the claims, it’s not patented.
But reading claims can be a daunting task, especially for someone not as familiar with reading patents. Claims can look like repetitive run-on sentences with peculiar indentations, excessive punctuation, and inflated legalese. In reality, there are several types of claims that follow specific formats and use special words to precisely recite what’s included—and what’s excluded—from the “claimed invention.”
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