Patent family
A group of patent applications and granted patents that protect the same invention in different countries.
A patent family is a group of patent applications and granted patents that protect the same invention in different countries. Members of a family share the same priority application, which sets the earliest of claimin the invention as yours. Filing a family typically starts with a first application — for example in the United States or at the European Patent Office — followed by national or regional applications in other jurisdictions within twelve months. Patent management software organizes IP work by family rather than by individual filings, because business decisions on cost, scope, and expiry play out at the family level.