What is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application in patent law?

A continuation-in-part (CIP) application is a type of patent application that builds upon a previously filed application by including new matter not disclosed in the original application. Key points about CIP applications include:

• They are filed while the parent application is still pending.
• They contain a portion or all of the disclosure of the parent application.
• They introduce new matter not present in the original application.
• The new matter is not entitled to the priority date of the parent application.

The MPEP 201.01 states: National applications include […] continuation-in-part applications (which may be filed under 37 CFR 1.53(b)). CIP applications allow inventors to expand on their original invention while maintaining the priority date for the previously disclosed material.

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