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Simple English definitions for legal terms
parent application
Read a random definition: immediately-apparent requirement
A quick definition of parent application:
A parent application is a type of patent application. It is the original application that is filed for a patent. It is called a parent application because it can give rise to other related applications, called child applications. The parent application is the starting point for the patent process.
A more thorough explanation:
A parent application is a type of patent application. It refers to the original application that was filed for a patent. If additional applications are filed based on the original application, they are called "child applications."
For example, if a company files a patent application for a new type of phone, that would be the parent application. If they later file another application for a new feature to be added to the phone, that would be a child application.
Parent applications are important because they establish the priority date for the invention. This means that if someone else tries to file a similar patent application after the parent application has been filed, the parent application will have priority.