• Under U.S. law, the claims of a pioneer patent are entitled to broader interpretation and to be given a broader range of equivalents. A pioneer patent is usu. the first one documented by a patent-tracking service, although it may not be the first patent published by a national registry, such as the PTO. — Cf. improvement patent. [Cases: Patents 173. C.J.S. Patents § 307.]
pioneer patent
A patent covering a function or a major technological advance never before performed, a wholly novel device, or subject matter of such novelty and importance as to mark a distinct step in the progress of the art, as distinguished from a mere improvement or perfection of what had gone before.
