How are claims numbered in a single claim patent application?

In the case of a patent application with only one claim, the numbering convention is different. According to MPEP 608.01(j):

“In a single claim case, the claim is not numbered.”

This means that if your patent application contains only one claim, you should not assign a number to that claim. This practice simplifies the presentation of the claim and avoids unnecessary numbering in cases where there’s only one claim to consider.

To learn more:

• single claim patent
• claim numbering
• patent application
• USPTO guidelines