Legal Definitions - restriction application

A restrictionapplication is a type of patent application that is filed when an examiner finds that a disclosure reveals two or more distinct inventions, and the applicant must restrict the original application to claiming one of the inventions. A divisional application can then be filed on any nonelected invention, and it will keep the same filing date as the parent application.

For example, if an inventor files a patent application for a new type of car engine, but the examiner finds that the application also discloses a new type of transmission, the inventor may be required to file a restriction application to claim only the engine invention. The inventor can then file a divisional application to claim the transmission invention.

Overall, a restriction application is a way for an inventor to pursue multiple inventions disclosed in a single patent application without losing the original filing date.