Introduction to Patents
Glossary of Patent Terms
Invention Disclosure
Patent Related Links
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Introduction to Patents Glossary of Patent Terms Invention Disclosure Patent Related Links |
16. What are amendments?An amendment is a change to a patent application, made by the patent attorney or agent, which modifies the application to get around the Examiner's rejections. Most often the claims will be adjusted to add invention feature limitations which distinguish the invention from the prior art cited by the Examiner. Sometimes this process requires a second amendment. It is important to note that once an application is submitted no new material may be added. For example, if after application submission, the inventor discovers a new refinement which greatly improves the performance of the invention, this feature may not be added to the present application. Rather, a new application is required.
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