What could be a reason for the deletion of inventors under Rule 1.48 for Non-Provisional applications?

The deletion of inventors under Rule 1.48 for Non-Provisional applications can occur when an amendment makes the original inventor(s) obsolete. This situation might arise when, during the prosecution of the application, it is determined that the contributions of the original inventors do not accurately reflect the claims as amended. If the amended claims are directed to a different invention or a significantly modified invention, it may be appropriate to remove the original inventors who did not contribute to the inventiveness of the new claims.

This principle supports the requirement that every inventor listed must have made a contribution that qualifies as inventive under patent law. If the scope of the invention changes due to amendments, and certain inventors are no longer seen as having contributed novel or non-obvious aspects to the invention, their removal is justified and necessary to maintain the integrity of the patent application. This ensures that the patent appropriately credits those who have made a substantive contribution to the invention as claimed.