# Dependent claim

A claim that refers back to and further limits another claim. For example: "The device of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of aluminum." If the claim it depends on is invalid, the dependent claim also falls. Dependent claims provide narrower protection but serve as fallbacks — if broader independent claims are invalidated, narrower dependent claims may survive.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/dependent-claim

**All patent terms:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary

---

_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. A plain-English glossary of US patent terms._