What is the difference between working examples and prophetic examples in patent applications?

Working examples and prophetic examples serve different purposes in patent applications:

• Working examples are based on actual experiments or results that have been carried out.
• Prophetic examples describe anticipated results of experiments or procedures that haven’t been performed yet.

According to MPEP 2164.02: “An example may be “working” or “prophetic.” A working example is based on work actually performed. A prophetic example describes an embodiment of the invention based on predicted results rather than work actually conducted or results actually achieved.”

To learn more:

• working examples
• prophetic examples
• patent application
• MPEP 2164.02