Importance of Patent Citation ,( Prior Art )

Patent law imposes a duty of candor on patent applicants. They must disclose any material prior inventions, uses, and publications (“prior art”) of which they are aware to the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO); failure to do so can render the resulting patent unenforceable. The idea is that applicants should help patent examiners decide whether an invention is patentable by submitting what is likely to be the most relevant information. And we trust that examiners will do so; when the patent issues we imbue it with a strong presumption of validity.