What are Linking Claims in patent applications?

Linking claims serve an important function in patent applications by addressing multiple inventions that appear in a single application. They specifically connect two or more inventions that are independently patentable but are presented in a way that allows them to benefit from being included in the same application. This is particularly significant under U.S. patent law, where it is generally required that each patent application represents a single invention or a group of closely related inventions.

Linking claims ensure that the different inventions remain associated in a manner that the application can proceed as a cohesive unit, while also complying with the rules regarding unity of invention. This allows for a more efficient examination process and can sometimes allow the applicant to maintain cost efficiency by reducing the need for multiple applications.

In contrast, the other options describe different aspects of patent claims. Claims that combine different inventions into one do not accurately reflect the specific function of linking claims. Redefining an existing invention does not pertain to the concept of linking claims either, as this focuses more on modifying and clarifying existing intellectual property rather than connecting separate inventions. Describing features of a product is more about the content of specific claims related to a single invention rather than linking distinct inventions together. Therefore, linking claims uniquely fulfill the role of establishing connections between