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Parent application A parent application is an application that discloses some part of an invention that is the same as that of a later-filed application.

Patent A patent is a right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing an invention for a fixed period of time.

Patent agent A patent agent is a person licensed to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office who is not an attorney.

Patent and Trademark Office The Patent & Trademark Office governs the issuance of patents and trademarks in the United States.

Patent application A patent application is an application to obtain a patent on an invention.

Patent attorney A patent attorney is a lawyer who is licensed to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office.

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) provides a procedure for filing an international patent application.

Patent number The patent number is the numerical reference assigned to a patent application.

Patent pending Patent pending status refers to the time period between when an inventor files a patent application and when the patent application issues into a patent or goes abandoned.

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