!092594 Two clean examples of Markush groups in claims Markush groups are ways of including a list of "equivalent" elements in a patent claim. The usual introduction of a Markush group in a patent clause is indicated by the phrase "...from the group consisting of...". What follows are two patents, one in biology and one in chemistry, that have Markush groups in a very clean format (at least I liked reading these two claims). Greg Aharonian Internet Patent News Service ==================== US PAT NO: 5,344,768 DATE ISSUED: Sep. 6, 1994 TITLE: Process for the preparation of pyrrolo-quinoline quinone ASSIGNEE: Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc., Tokyo ART-UNIT: 188 PRIM-EXMR: Irene Marx LEGAL-REP: Henry T. Burke 1. A process for the preparation of pyrroloquinoline quinone which comprises cultivating in a culture medium containing methanol as a carbon source a bacterial strain selected from the group consisting of: Methylobacterium organophilum ATCC 29983 Protomonas extorquens JCM 2802 Mycoplana rubra NCIB 10409 Ancylobacter aquaticus ATCC 25396 Microcyclus eburneus ATCC 21373 Microcyclus polymorphum NCIB 10516 Microcyclus methanolica DSM 2666 Hyphomicrobium variable NCIB 10517 Hyphomicrobium vulgare NCIB 9698 Hyphomicrobium methylovorum IFO 14180 Hyphomicrobium sp. DSM 1869 Xanthobacter autotrophicus DSM 432 Xanthobacter flavus NCIB 10071 Thiobacillus novellus NCIB 10456 Methanomonas methylovora ATCC 21852 Methanomonas methylovora subsp. thiaminophila ATCC 21370 Pseudomonas insueta ATCC 21276 Alteromonas thalassomethanolica ATCC 33145 Methylomonas thalassica ATCC 33146 Methylophaga marina NCMB 2244 Methylophaga thalassica NCMB 2162 Methylophaga thalassica NCMB 2163 Achromobacterr methanophila ATCC 21275 Methylobacillus glycogenes ATCC 29475 Methylomonas clara ATCC 31226 Protaminobacter candidus ATCC 21372 Protaminobacter thiaminophagus ATCC 21371 Pseudomonas methanolica ATCC 21704 and Pseudomonas methylotropha NCIB 10510 and recovering pyrroloquinoline quinone from the culture medium. ============================================================================== US PAT NO: 5,344,830 DATE ISSUED: Sep. 6, 1994 TITLE: N,N-diacylpiperazine tachykinin antagonists ASSIGNEE: Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ (U.S. corp.) DATE FILED: Dec. 10, 1992 ART-UNIT: 122 PRIM-EXMR: Emily Bernhardt LEGAL-REP: Joseph F. DiPrima, David L. Rose, J. Eric Thies What is claimed is: 1. A compound which is selected from the group consisting of: 1) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N -diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[3-(4- morpholinyl)propyl]-2-piperazinecarboxamide; 2) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-(4- morpholinyl)ethyl]-2-piperazinecarboxamide; 3) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-(1- piperidinyl)ethyl]-2-piperazinecarboxamide; 4) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2- (acetamido)ethyl]-2-piperazinecarboxamide; 5) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-(N'-benzyl-N'- methylamino)-ethyl]-N-methyl-2-piperazinecarboxamide; 6) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[3- (benzyloxycarbonyl)propyl]-N-methyl-2-piperazinecarboxamide; 7) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-[(N'-(3,5- dimethylphenyl)-methyl-(N'-methyl)amino]ethyl]-N-methyl-2- piperazinecarboxamide; 8) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-[(N'-[3,5-di- (trifluoro-methyl)phenyl]methyl)-(N'-methyl)amino]ethyl]-N-methyl-2- piperazinecarboxamide; 9) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-[(N'-(2- methoxyphenyl)-methyl)-(N'-methyl) amino]ethyl]-N-methyl-2- piperazinecarboxamide; 10) 4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-N-[2-(N'-[(1,1- dimethyl)ethoxy-carbonyl]-(N'-methyl)aminoethyl]-N-methyl-2- piperazinecarboxamide; 11) (S)-2-(2-(N-(2-methoxybenzyl)amino)ethylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N,N-di-n- pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenylcarbamoyl)-piperazine; 12) 2-(2-(N-methyl-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)amino)-ethylamino-carbonyl)-4-(N,N-di-n- pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenylcarbamoyl)piperazine; 13) (S)-2-(2-(1-piperidinyl)ethylaminocarbonyl)-1-[N-(3-chlorophenyl)-N- phenylcarbamoyl]-4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)piperazine; 14) (S)-2-(2-(1-piperidinyl)ethylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)- 1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)piperazine; 15) (S)-2-(2-(N,N-bis(2-methoxybenzyl)amino)-ethylamino-carbonyl)-1-(N,N- diphenylcarbamoyl)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)piperazine; 16) (S)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-2-(2-(4- morpholinyl)ethylaminocarbonyl)-piperazine; 17) (S)-2-(2-(N-benzyl-N-methylamino)-N-(methyl)ethylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N,N-di- n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenylcarbamoyl)piperazine; 18) (S)-1-(N-(3-chlorophenyl)-N-phenylcarbamoyl)-2-(2-(N-methyl-N(2- methoxybenzyl)amino)-ethylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N,N-di-n- pentylcarbamoyl)piperazine; 19(S)-1-(N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)-N-phenylcarbamoyl)-2-(2-(N-methyl-N-(2- methoxybenzyl)-amino)ethylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentyl- carbamoyl)piperazine; 20) (S)-1-(N-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-N-phenylcarbamoyl)-2-(2-(N-methyl-N-(2- methoxybenzyl)-amino)ethylaminocarbonyl)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentyl- carbamoyl)piperazine 21) (S)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-2-(2-N- (benzyloxycarbonylmethyl)amino)-ethylaminocarbonyl)piperazine; 22) (S)-4-(N,N-di-n-pentylcarbamoyl)-1-(N,N-diphenyl-carbamoyl)-2-(2-N- (benzyloxycarbonylmethyl)-N-methylamino)ethylaminocarbonyl)piperazine; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.