35 U.S.C. § 253 — Disclaimer

(a) In General — If one claim of a patent is invalid, that doesn't make the patent's other claims invalid too. A patentee — whether they own the whole patent or just a partial interest in it — can pay the required fee and disclaim (give up) any complete claim, stating in the disclaimer how much of an interest they hold in the patent. The disclaimer must be in writing and recorded at the Patent and Trademark Office. After that, it's treated as part of the original patent, to the extent of the interest held by the person who disclaimed and by anyone claiming rights through them. (b) Additional Disclaimer or Dedication — Using the same process described in subsection (a), a patentee or applicant can also disclaim or dedicate to the public the entire remaining term of a granted or pending patent, or just the final part of that term.