Guidelines for Examination
PART C
CHAPTER III CLAIMS
4. Clarity and interpretation of claims
4.9 Use claims
 

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PART C
CHAPTER III CLAIMSCHAPTER III CLAIMS
4. Clarity and interpretation of claims4. Clarity and interpretation of claims
  4.8b The expression in4.8b The expression in     4.10 References to the description or drawings4.10 References to the description or drawings  
 

4.9

Use claims

 

For the purposes of examination, a "use" claim in a form such as "the use of substance X as an insecticide" should be regarded as equivalent to a "process" claim of the form "a process of killing insects using substance X". Thus a claim in the form indicated should not be interpreted as directed to the substance X recognisable (e.g. by further additives) as intended for use as an insecticide. Similarly, a claim for "the use of a transistor in an amplifying circuit" would be equivalent to a process claim for the process of amplifying using a circuit containing the transistor and should not be interpreted as being directed to "an amplifying circuit in which the transistor is used", nor to "the process of using the transistor in building such a circuit".