patent family
A patent family is "a set of patents taken in various countries to protect a single invention (when a first application in a country?– the priority?– is then extended to other offices)." Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Economic Analysis and Statistics Division, OECD science, technology and industry scoreboard: towards a knowledge-based economy, OECD Publishing, 2001, ISBN 92-64-18648-4, ISBN 978-92-64-18648-4, page 60.