squires doctrine
Squires doctrine. Patents. A rule of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that a utility-patent claim may incorporate drawings or tables by reference, but only when there is no practical way to express the information in words, and when referring to the artwork is a concise way to communicate the information. • The namesake case involved a numerical font designed to be readable in the dim red light inside a submarine. It is allowed only when necessary, and is not available just for the convenience of an applicant. Ex parte Squires, 133 USPQ (BNA) 598 (Bd. App. 1961). See Squires claim under PATENT CLAIM. [Cases: Patents 100. C.J.S. Patents § 143.]