art - (motorcycle patents may be found in the vehicle art) The logical grouping, as determined by the Patent and Trademark Office, of patents that contain similar features.
claims - The claims of a patent describe the workings of the invention. They list the parts and interrelations of parts so that one skilled in the art could make and use the invention. A claim is one grammatically correct sentence.
novel - (the invention has novel features) Something not previously claimed; A new idea, or a combination of old ideas that produces unexpected results. A novel feature of an invention is stated and described in the claims of the patent.
prior art - A list of patents that are similar to the invention you are trying to patent. These patents are the closest patents in function and structure to your invention. They contain the claims that are most likely to contain features of your invention that are already patented.
means - (The valve means) A system or collection of parts that serve a specific purpose. These parts do not need to be specified and may consist of any configuration of elements that serves the purpose. A stick and rock or a metal bar and specially shaped wooden support may, under the right circumstances, both be considered “level means” because each set of elements may perform the function of a fulcrum and lever.
element - a piece of your system (as in “lever” or “valve means”)
consists of - (The lever means consists of...) When listing parts in a patent, when something “consists of” a list of elements, it has those and only those elements listed.
comprises - (The lever means comprises ...) When listing parts in a patent, when something “comprises” a list of elements, it consists of those elements and any other incidental elements not mentioned.
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