Legal Definitions - child application

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.