# MPEP § 802.02: Definition of Restriction

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S802.02

## Section

- **Citation:** MPEP § 802.02
- **Heading:** Definition of Restriction
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** USPTO MPEP / Chapter 0800 - Restriction in Applications Filed Under 35 U.S.C. 111 › Double Patenting / MPEP § 802.02

## Text

Restriction is the practice of requiring an applicant to elect a single
claimed invention (e.g., a combination or subcombination invention, a product or process
invention, a species within a genus) for examination when two or more independent
inventions and/or two or more distinct inventions are claimed in an application.
[top]

## Nearby sections

- [MPEP § 801 Introduction](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S801.md)
- [MPEP § 802 Basis for Restriction Practice in Statute and Rules](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S802.md)
- [MPEP § 802.01 Meaning of “Independent” and “Distinct”](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S802.01.md)
- [MPEP § 802.02 Definition of Restriction](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S802.02.md)
- [MPEP § 803 Restriction — When Proper](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.md)
- [MPEP § 803.01 Review by Examiner with at Least Partial Signatory Authority](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.01.md)
- [MPEP § 803.02 Election of Species Requirements – Markush Claims](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.02.md)
- [MPEP § 803.03 Transitional Applications](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.03.md)
- [MPEP § 803.03(a) Transitional Application — Linking Claim Allowable](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.03(a).md)
- [MPEP § 803.03(b) Transitional Application — Generic Claim Allowable](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.03(b).md)
- [MPEP § 803.04 Nucleotide Sequences](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.04.md)
- [MPEP § 803.05 Reissue Application Practice](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S803.05.md)
- [MPEP § 804 Definition of Double Patenting](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S804.md)
- [MPEP § 804.01 Prohibition of Nonstatutory Double Patenting Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 121](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S804.01.md)

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S802.02. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.