How does the USPTO evaluate the subjective requirement of 35 U.S.C. 112(b)?
This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.
The subjective requirement of 35 U.S.C. 112(b) is evaluated based on the inventor’s or joint inventors’ perspective of their invention. As stated in MPEP 2171:
“The first requirement is a subjective one because it is dependent on what the inventor or a joint inventor for a patent regards as his or her invention.”
This means that patent examiners must consider whether the claims accurately reflect what the inventor(s) consider to be their invention. If there’s a discrepancy between the claimed subject matter and what the inventor(s) regard as their invention, it may lead to a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).