claims

In a patent or patent application, the claims define, in technical terms, the extent, i.e. the scope, of the protection conferred by a patent, or the protection sought in a patent application. The claims are of the utmost importance both during prosecution and litigation alike. For instance, a claim could read: “An apparatus for catching mice, said apparatus comprising a base, a spring member coupled to the base, and …” “A chemical composition for cleaning windows, said composition substantially consisting of 10–15% ammonia, …” “Method for computing future life expectancies, said method comprising gathering data including X, Y, Z, analyzing the data, comparing the analyzed data results…”