LANDIS ON MECHANICS OF PATENT CLAIM DRAFTING.doc

LANDIS ON MECHANICS OF PATENT CLAIM DRAFTING
*** Current through Release No. 5 (November 2001) ***
Copyright 2000 by Practising Law Institute. All Rights Reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION 1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 1
FOREWORD 1
CHAPTER I. STATUTORY PROVISIONS-SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES 2
§ 1 The Statute 2
§ 2 Omnibus Claims 3
§ 3 The Statutory Classes 4
CHAPTER II. CLAIM FORMS AND FORMATS IN GENERAL 5
§ 4 Placement After Specification 5
§ 5 Numbering And Order 6
§ 6 Preamble 7
§ 7 Transition From Preamble To Body-- "Comprising" 11
§ 8 "Consisting"--"Consisting Essentially Of" 12
§ 9 Body Of The Claim 14
§ 10 Format And Punctuation; Subparagraph Form 15
§ 11 Dependent Claims 16
§ 11A Independent Claims 23
§ 12 Multiple Dependent Claims 24
§ 13 Fees Payable For Claims 26
CHAPTER III. APPARATUS OR MACHINE CLAIMS 28
§ 14 In General 28
§ 15 Preambles For Apparatus Claims 29
§ 16 Elements Of Apparatus Claims 30
§ 16A Workpiece Or Environmental Element 33
§ 17 Negative Limitations 34
§ 18 Support In Specification And Drawings 35
§ 19 Naming The Elements 37
§ 20 Singular And Plural Elements 39
§ 21 Double Inclusion Of Elements 41
§ 22 Use Of Reference Numerals In Claims 42
§ 23 Antecedents; Indefiniteness 42
§ 23A Relative Terminology 44
§ 24 Alternative Expressions 46
§ 25 Parts Or Features Of Elements 48
§ 26 Claiming Holes 50
§ 26A Words Of Approximation Substantially Et Al. 50
§ 27 Order Of Elements 52
§ 28 Tying The Elements Together 53
§ 29 Structural Connection 54
§ 30 Functional Or Operational Expressions 55
§ 31 Claiming Desired Results; Overly Broad Functional Statements 57
§ 32 "Whereby" Clauses 61
§ 33 Location Of Functional Clauses 63
§ 34 The "Means" Or "Step" Clauses 63
§ 35 Electrical Circuit Claims (Bryan W. Sheffield, John L. Landis, & Robert Faber) 84
§ 36 In General 88
§ 37 Elements Of Method Claims 90
§ 38 Order Of Steps 92
§ 39 Obvious Method Using Novel Starting Material Or Producing Unobvious Product 94