Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications
These supplementary guidelines are intended to assist United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) personnel in the examination of claims in patent applications for compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, which requires that claims particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter that applicant regards as his or her invention. In addition, supplemental information is provided to assist Office personnel in the examination of claims that contain functional language for compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112, especially computer-implemented invention claims. The guidelines also include information to assist Office personnel in the examination of dependent claims for compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph. The guidelines are a supplement to the current provisions in the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) pertaining to 35 U.S.C. 112, and the current provisions in the MPEP pertaining to 35 U.S.C. 112 remain in effect except as where indicated in these guidelines.
- Task
- Read the news
- Patent or trademark
- both
- Legacy system
- —
- Current entry point
- www.federalregister.gov/documents/2011/02/09/2011-2841/supplementary-examination-guidelines-for-determining-compliance-with-35-usc-112-and-for-treatment-of (permanent link in the Federal Register, verified 2026-09-30)
- Legacy system and where it moved
- No legacy system name mention in title or summary )
- Fee
- No fee mention in title or summary )
- What you need (account or API key)
- No account or key mention in title or summary )
- Published
- 2011-02-09
- Document type
- Notice
- Source
- USPTO documents published in the Federal Register (Federal Register API)(retrieved 2026-10-06)
Everything in the same category
Read the news (all 1988) · both (all 2333)
Related entry points
- 2024 Guidance Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility, Including on Artificial Intelligence
- Examining Computer-Implemented Functional Claim Limitations for Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112
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- Notice of Public Hearing and Request for Comments on Matters Related to the Harmonization of Substantive Patent Law
- Pilot Program for Extended Time Period To Reply to a Notice To File Missing Parts of Nonprovisional Application
- Examination Guidelines for Implementing the First Inventor To File Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
- Interim Guidance for Determining Subject Matter Eligibility for Process Claims in View of Bilski v. Kappos
- Guidelines for Assessing Enablement in Utility Applications and Patents in View of the Supreme Court Decision in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi et al.
- Examination of Patent Applications That Include Claims Containing Alternative Language
- Changes To Permit Delayed Submission of Certain Requirements for Prioritized Examination
- Changes To Support Implementation of the United States Patent and Trademark Office 21st Century Strategic Plan
- Supplemental Guidance for Examination of Design Patent Applications Related to Computer-Generated Electronic Images, Including Computer-Generated Icons and Graphical User Interfaces
- July 2015 Update on Subject Matter Eligibility
- Request for Comments and Notice of Roundtable Events for Partnership for Enhancement of Quality of Software-Related Patents
- Supplemental Guidance for Examination of Design Patent Applications Related to Computer-Generated Electronic Images, Including Computer-Generated Icons and Graphical User Interfaces
- Changes to Permit Delayed Submission of Certain Requirements for Prioritized Examination