The four rejection grounds, told apart

What each section number in an Office Action means: 101 eligibility, 102 anticipation, 103 obviousness and 112 claim drafting.

Four section numbers cover almost every rejection you will see. §101 says the subject matter is not eligible for patenting at all. §102 says one single earlier reference already discloses the whole claim. §103 says a combination of references makes the claim obvious. §112 says the claims are unclear or the specification does not support them. The number tells you what kind of answer is required: §102 and §103 are answered on the prior art, §112 on the wording, §101 on what the claim is directed to.

There are four different section numbers in here. Are they four separate problems?

Yes, and each needs its own answer. A reply that deals with the prior art and ignores a §112 objection is incomplete, and the examiner will treat it as such.

The four, side by side

What each ground asserts and how it is answered
Ground	The assertion	Typical answer
§101	The claim is directed to an abstract idea, a law of nature or a natural phenomenon	Claim the technical mechanism; show integration into a practical application
§102	One reference discloses every element of the claim	Show a missing element, or that the reference is not prior art on its date or provenance
§103	A combination of references makes the claim obvious	Attack the motivation to combine, the mapping, or supply evidence of unexpected results
§112	The claim is unclear, or the specification does not support it	Amend the wording; for written description, narrow — no new matter may be added

A quick diagnostic

Count the references the examiner cites against a claim. One reference means §102. Two or more combined means §103. No references at all means the objection is about your own wording or subject matter, which is §112 or §101.

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With the claims each one affects and the page it appears on.

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Questions people ask

It depends on the case, but as a rough ordering: §112(b) indefiniteness is usually the most fixable, §103 turns on the strength of the examiner’s reasoning, a well-founded §102 rejection is harder, and §101 can require rethinking what is claimed rather than arguing.

Yes, and it happens constantly. A single independent claim can face §103 over two references, §112(b) for an unclear term, and §101 for eligibility, all in the same action.

Where this comes from

Every statement of law or procedure on this page traces to a primary source you can check yourself.

Last reviewed August 30, 2026

Your claims were rejected as obvious under §103

What a 103 obviousness rejection means, how examiners build one, the four ways of answering it, and what the reply period is.

One reference was cited against your whole claim: §102

What anticipation under 35 USC 102 means, when a reference qualifies as prior art, and the realistic ways of answering the rejection.

Your claims were called ineligible under §101

What a 35 USC 101 subject matter eligibility rejection means for software, diagnostics and business methods, and how these are answered.

The examiner objected to how your claims are written: §112

The difference between 112(a) written description and enablement and 112(b) indefiniteness, and how each is answered.