Generic Claim:
A claim that encompasses an entire group or class. It is not possible to define a generic claim with that precision existing in the case of a geometrical term. In general, a generic claim should include no material element additional to those recited in the species claims, and must comprehend within its confines the organization covered in each of the species.
Goodwill:
An intangible value of that company gains over time in the financial community.
Group:
A unit of several in the mechanical, electrical, chemical or design area, managed by one or more Group Directors. Groups are more properly referred to as Technology Centers, or TCs.
Group Art Units:
May be abbreviated “AU,” “GAU” or “Grp Art Unit” on Office correspondence) – a working unit responsible for a cluster of related patent art. Staffed by one supervisory patent examiner (SPE) and a number of patent examiners who determine patentability on applications for a patent. Group Art Units are identified by a four digit number, i.e., 1642.