How should patent applicants structure their claims to facilitate a thorough search?
Patent applicants can facilitate a thorough and complete search by structuring their claims appropriately. The MPEP 904.03 states: Applicants can facilitate a thorough and complete search by including, at the time of filing, claims varying from the broadest to which they believe they are entitled to the most detailed that they would be willing to accept.
This approach helps examiners conduct a comprehensive search that covers the full scope of the invention, from broad concepts to specific implementations. By providing a range of claim scopes, applicants enable examiners to better understand the invention and perform a more effective prior art search.
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