What words should be avoided in a patent application title?

MPEP 606 provides guidance on words that should be avoided in patent application titles:

“The words listed below are not considered as part of the title of an invention, these words should not be included at the beginning of the title of the invention and will be deleted when the Office enters the title into the Office’s computer records, and when any patent issues.”

While the MPEP doesn’t provide an exhaustive list in this section, it’s generally advisable to avoid:

• Non-descriptive terms like ‘new’, ‘improved’, or ‘invention of’
• Articles such as ‘a’, ‘an’, or ‘the’ at the beginning of the title
• Overly broad terms that don’t specifically describe the invention

However, there are exceptions. For example, “The term ‘new’ will not be deleted when it is a part of a proper name, such as ‘New York’. Similarly, the term ‘design’ will not be deleted when it is a part of a term, such as ‘Design-aiding apparatus…’.”

To learn more:

• patent application
• title wording
• avoided words
• title guidelines