What is a prior art reference?

A prior art reference is a document or resource from the past which can be used to help prove that an invention already existed or was already known before a patent application was filed. This reference can be anything from a previous patent, a scientific journal article, a published book, a conference paper, or any other document that can be used to demonstrate that the invention in question was already known before the patent application was filed. In Washington, prior art references must be considered when examining a patent application. If it can be proven that the invention was already known in the past, then the patent application can be rejected. If a patent application is rejected due to prior art references, the applicant may have to amend the application to differentiate their proposed invention from the prior art references or to add additional information to the application.

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What is a prior art reference?

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