Legal Definitions - notice of prior-art references

A notice of prior-art references is a notification given by a patent examiner to an applicant. It informs the applicant of previously issued patents that have been used to reject one or more of their claims.

For example, if an inventor applies for a patent on a new type of bicycle chain, the patent examiner may conduct a search of previously issued patents. If the examiner finds a patent for a similar bicycle chain, they may use it to reject the inventor's claim. The examiner would then send a notice of prior-art references to the inventor, informing them of the previously issued patent.

This notice is important because it allows the applicant to understand the prior art and make any necessary changes to their application. It also helps to ensure that only truly novel and non-obvious inventions are granted patents.