patent family

A patent family is all the patents and patent applications resulting from a specific patent application.Generally, a patent application for an invention is originally filed in one country. Sometimes that original patent application is the basis for filing patent applications in several other countries (see also right of priority). Each of these new patent applications can become the basis for filing subsequent patent applications. A single patent occasionally results in many, many patents throughout the world.
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A patent family is the same invention disclosed by a  common inventor(s) and patented in more than one country.

-- see patent family 

Context: Patent