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Simple English definitions for legal terms
child application
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A quick definition of child application:
A child application is a type of patent application that is filed after an earlier application, called the parent application. The child application shares some of the same subject matter as the parent application. There are different types of child applications, such as continuation, divisional, and continuation-in-part applications. A child application can be filed while the parent application is still pending. The first-filed application in a chain of child applications is called the grandparent application.A more thorough explanation:
A child application is a type of patent application that is filed during the pendency of an earlier application and shares common subject matter. The first-filed application is called the parent application. This allows an inventor to continue to pursue additional claims or variations on their original invention.
For example, if an inventor filed a patent application for a new type of bicycle, they could file a child application for a variation on that bicycle, such as a folding version or an electric version.
Child applications are important because they allow inventors to protect their intellectual property in a more comprehensive way, while still maintaining the original filing date of the parent application.