Legal Definitions - lack-of-antecedent-basis rejection

Definition: Lack-of-antecedent-basis rejection is a refusal to accept a contractual offer or tendered goods as contractual performance. It can also refer to a patent examiner's finding that a claim in an application is unpatentable due to a missing reference in the specification or claim.

Examples:

• A buyer rejects nonconforming goods within a reasonable time after delivery and notifies the seller. This is an example of lack-of-antecedent-basis rejection in a contractual context.
• A patent examiner rejects a claim in a patent application because it lacks a reference in the specification or claim. This is an example of lack-of-antecedent-basis rejection in a patent context.

Both examples illustrate the concept of lack-of-antecedent-basis rejection, which is a refusal to accept something due to a missing reference or basis. In the contractual context, the buyer rejects the goods because they do not meet the agreed-upon specifications. In the patent context, the examiner rejects the claim because it lacks a reference that is necessary to support the claim.