Rejection of a patent claim on the grounds that it broadly claims a function but does not disclose enough structure to account for achieving that function. See FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION. [Cases: Patents 101(8).]
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functional limitation. Patents. In a patent application, the definition of an invention by what it does rather than what it is. • A functional limitation is not inherently invalid, but it is examined closely because it tends to be too broad, claiming every possible way of doing the same thing. MPEP 2173.05(g). See functional rejection
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Rejection of a patent claim on the ground that it seeks a patent monopoly on more than the invention. • For instance, a functional claim is too broad if it purports to include every other possible way of accomplishing a function. A claim on a chemical is more likely to be rejected for undue breadth
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