What is a "continuation" patent application?

A "continuation" patent application is specifically designed to pursue additional claims that are based on the original disclosure of a previously filed application. This means that the continuation maintains the same priority date as the original application while allowing the applicant to add new claims or refine existing claims without the need for completely new material that would require a new filing.

The continuation application utilizes the detailed description and the drawings provided in the original application, hence, it stays connected to the original invention. This is particularly useful when the applicant wants to explore new avenues of protection or expand the scope of the original claims, which may not have been fully covered in the initial application.

This process adds strategic value, as it can prolong the patenting process while still leveraging the original filing's date, thus providing potential advantages in terms of claim scope and patent protection.