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Simple English definitions for legal terms
grandparent application
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A quick definition of grandparent application:
A grandparent application is a type of patent application that is the first one filed in a chain of at least three other applications. A patent application is a request made by an inventor to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a patent. The grandparent application is important because it sets the filing date for all the other applications in the chain. The other types of patent applications include child applications, which are filed later and share common subject matter, and continuing applications, which carry on prosecution of some or all of the original application.A more thorough explanation:
A grandparent application is a type of patent application that is the first-filed application in a chain of at least three continuation or continuation-in-part patent applications. It is called a grandparent application because it is the oldest or first in the family of related applications.
For example, if an inventor files a patent application and then files two more related applications that build on the original application, the first or oldest application is the grandparent application.
The grandparent application is important because it establishes the priority date for the family of related applications. This means that any new invention or improvement that is added to the family of applications will have the same priority date as the grandparent application.
Overall, a grandparent application is a key part of the patent application process and helps inventors protect their intellectual property.