EXAMPLES OF PATENT DOCUMENTS ILLUSTRATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF PATENT FAMILIES
(1) SIMPLE PATENT FAMILY
"Simple patent family" means a patent family relating to the same invention, each member of which has for the basis of its "priority right" exactly the same originating application or applications.
Example: Patent family members with originating (priority) applications
AT 319372 B Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
CH 538767 A Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72 (first application)
DE 2323735 A1 Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
ES 418590 A1 Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
FR 2199213 A1 Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
FR 2199213 B1 Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
JP 49-68240 A2 Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
SE 380138 B Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
SE 380138 C Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
US 3851217 A Originating (priority) applications: CH 13201/72
(2) COMPLEX PATENT FAMILY
"Complex patent family" means a patent family relating to the same invention or to several inventions sharing a common aspect, each member of which has for the basis of its "priority right" at least one originating application in common with the other members of the family.
Example: Patent family members with originating (priority) applications
AU 56113/73 A1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
AU 469368 B2 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
BE 799945 A1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
CA 1021320 A1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
CH 593981 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
DE 2326795 A1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
DK 143603 B Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
DK 143603 C Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
ES 415069 A1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
FR 2185394 A1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
FR 2185394 B1 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
GB 1437088 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72 (first application), GB 56003/72
JP 49-490692 A2 Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
NL 7307311 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
SE 7604104 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
US 3941774 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72, GB 56003/72
ZA 733408 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 24668/72
(*) For the purposes of these definitions, the expression "originating application" means a national priority application in the sense of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, a regional application or an international application filed under the PCT.
(3) EXTENDED PATENT FAMILY
"Extended patent family" means a patent family relating to one or more inventions, each member of which has for the basis of its "priority right" at least one originating application in common with at least one other member of the family.
Example: Patent family members with originating (priority) applications
DE 3610333 A1 Originating (priority) applications: DE 3514301
EP 200874 A1 Originating (priority) applications: DE 3514301
JP 61-242026 A2 Originating (priority) applications:DE 3514301
US 4670093 A Originating (priority) applications: DE 3514301, DE 3610333
EP 240776 A1 Originating (priority) applications: DE 3610333
JP 62-232129 A2 Originating (priority) applications: DE 3610333
(4) NATIONAL PATENT FAMILY
"National patent family" means a patent family relating to one or more inventions, the members of which are published by the same office and at least two of which are distinct from each other (i.e., not merely a different procedural publication stage for the same originating application – see domestic patent family), and having for their basis of "priority right" at least one originating application in common with the other members of the family. The relationship of at least two of the published patent documents in this type of patent family is a result of additions, continuations, continuations-in-part, or divisions of the original subject of invention covered by an originating application.
Example: Patent family members with originating (priority) applications
(5) DOMESTIC PATENT FAMILY
"Domestic patent family" means a patent family consisting solely of a single office’s different procedural publications for the same originating applications(s).
Example: Patent family members with originating (priority) applications
US 2002/0170031 A1 Originating (priority) applications: US 10/083103
US 6647543 B2 Originating (priority) applications: US 10/083103
(6) ARTIFICIAL PATENT FAMILY
"Artificial patent family" (intellectual or non-conventional patent family) means a patent family consisting of a collection of equivalent patent documents (i.e., documents relating to the same invention) published by different offices and at least some of which do not share a common originating application or applications (or where data relating to such a common originating application is not disclosed). The members of this type of family are determined only after intellectual investigation to have essentially the same disclosed content.
Example: Patent family members with originating (priority) applications
DE 3506095 A1 Originating (priority) applications: DE 3506095
FR 2551451 A1 Originating (priority) applications: FR 8313964
GB 2170838 A Originating (priority) applications: GB 8503478
US 5978890 A Originating (priority) applications: 08/779471
US 6240494 B1 Originating (priority) applications: 09/212410
US 6647476 B2 Originating (priority) applications: 08/779471 (continuation-in-part), 09/212410 (division)