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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Squires doctrine
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A quick definition of Squires doctrine:
The Squires Doctrine is a rule in the US Patent and Trademark Office that allows a utility-patent claim to incorporate drawings or tables by reference only when there is no other way to express the information in words and when referring to the artwork is a concise way to communicate the information. This is named after a case involving a numerical font designed for submarines. It is not available just for the convenience of an applicant and is allowed only when necessary.A more thorough explanation:
The Squires Doctrine is a rule of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that allows a utility-patent claim to incorporate drawings or tables by reference, but only when there is no practical way to express the information in words, and when referring to the artwork is a concise way to communicate the information. This claim is allowed only when necessary, and is not available just for the convenience of an applicant.
An example of a Squires claim is a numerical font designed to be readable in the dim red light inside a submarine. The invention is simple to illustrate with a drawing, and there is no practical way to define the invention in words. Therefore, the claim can incorporate the drawing by reference.