Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

means-plus-function clause

Patent law. An element in a patent claim, usu. in a claim for a combination patent, asserting that the design is a way to perform a given function or is a step in the process of performing a given function. ( The claim will be interpreted as including the structure or means stated in the patent, and reasonable equivalents, but not all possible means of achieving the same function. 35 USCA § 112. See combination patent under PATENT.