1. Description Strategies in US Patents

2. Genre Background & Expectations  Research Articles & Patents: Epistemologically convergent, discursively divergent  Interplay between boosting / hedging and explicitness / inexplicitness

3. Boosting & Hedging

4. Patent Validity Criteria

5. Rhetorical Patterns (Moves) Property Scope Field & Application State-of-the-Art Novelty, Usefulness, Non-obviousnessNovelty, Usefulness, Non-obviousness Physical & Functional Description Features & PurposeFeatures & Purpose Presentation of Alternatives

6. BROAD INQUIRY: Main boosting & hedging resources in patents (present focus underlined)

7. Quantitative Determiners: Many / Most Quantitative Determiner Primary Function Minor Function Frequent Collocations Many (369)State versatility & applicability of invention (novelty)  Enumerate disadvantages/ problems  Set a familiar starting point in prior art modifications applications areas known conventional suitable alternatives years cases Most (536)  Appraisal of present invention  Specification  Highlight of components  Prior art gaps and preferred, preferably, preferable, desirable, desired, advantageous, efficient, important, particularly, probably

9. Evaluative Adjectives ( and corresponding adverbs )

10. Example: Desirable

11. Resultative Verbs

12. Inferential Markers Acting as Code Glosses

13. Conclusion Patent Discourse Community