3 Chisum on Patents § 7.03

Since 1790, the patent laws have required that the inventor set forth in a patent specification sufficient information to enable a person skilled in the relevant art to make and use the invention.1

See Solomon v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., 216 F.3d 1372, 55 USPQ2d 1279 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (citing Treatise).

See generally Janis, “On Courts Herding Cats: Contending with the ‘Written Description’ Requirement (and Other Unruly Patent Disclosure Doctrines),” 2 Wash. U. J. L. & Pol’y 55 (2000); Note, “Enablement,” 13 Berkeley Technology L.J. 149–161 (1998).

The “invention” that must be enabled is that defined by the particular claim or claims of the patent or patent application.2

E.g., McRO, Inc. v. Bandai Namco Games America, 959 F.3d 1091, 1100 (Fed. Cir. 2020), discussed § 7.03[7][b][ii], § 7.03[8][b][v] (NOT MATTER OUTSIDE CLAIMS; “This statutory requirement is limited to what is claimed. Section 112 requires enablement of ‘only the claimed invention,’ not matter outside the claims. Union Carbide ...