diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java
index b9694d3cf9..a36ec9009c 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java
@@ -308,12 +308,12 @@ public abstract class AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory extends AbstractBeanFac
 		RootBeanDefinition bd = null;
 		if (mbd instanceof RootBeanDefinition) {
 			RootBeanDefinition rbd = (RootBeanDefinition) mbd;
-			if (rbd.isPrototype()) {
-				bd = rbd;
-			}
+			bd = (rbd.isPrototype() ? rbd : rbd.cloneBeanDefinition());
 		}
-		if (bd == null) {
-			bd = new RootBeanDefinition(mbd);
+		if (!mbd.isPrototype()) {
+			if (bd == null) {
+				bd = new RootBeanDefinition(mbd);
+			}
 			bd.setScope(BeanDefinition.SCOPE_PROTOTYPE);
 			bd.allowCaching = false;
 		}
diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ChildBeanDefinition.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ChildBeanDefinition.java
index cbc43acfbe..87fc66ba87 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ChildBeanDefinition.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/ChildBeanDefinition.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2012 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 package org.springframework.beans.factory.support;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.MutablePropertyValues;
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConstructorArgumentValues;
 import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
 
@@ -98,7 +97,7 @@ public class ChildBeanDefinition extends AbstractBeanDefinition {
 	 * @param pvs the property values to apply
 	 */
 	public ChildBeanDefinition(
-			String parentName, Class beanClass, ConstructorArgumentValues cargs, MutablePropertyValues pvs) {
+			String parentName, Class<?> beanClass, ConstructorArgumentValues cargs, MutablePropertyValues pvs) {
 
 		super(cargs, pvs);
 		this.parentName = parentName;
@@ -128,7 +127,7 @@ public class ChildBeanDefinition extends AbstractBeanDefinition {
 	 * @param original the original bean definition to copy from
 	 */
 	public ChildBeanDefinition(ChildBeanDefinition original) {
-		super((BeanDefinition) original);
+		super(original);
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/RootBeanDefinition.java b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/RootBeanDefinition.java
index e187e5c728..f029c1a8f3 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/RootBeanDefinition.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/support/RootBeanDefinition.java
@@ -171,7 +171,11 @@ public class RootBeanDefinition extends AbstractBeanDefinition {
 	 * @param original the original bean definition to copy from
 	 */
 	public RootBeanDefinition(RootBeanDefinition original) {
-		this((BeanDefinition) original);
+		super(original);
+		this.decoratedDefinition = original.decoratedDefinition;
+		this.allowCaching = original.allowCaching;
+		this.targetType = original.targetType;
+		this.isFactoryMethodUnique = original.isFactoryMethodUnique;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -181,13 +185,6 @@ public class RootBeanDefinition extends AbstractBeanDefinition {
 	 */
 	RootBeanDefinition(BeanDefinition original) {
 		super(original);
-		if (original instanceof RootBeanDefinition) {
-			RootBeanDefinition originalRbd = (RootBeanDefinition) original;
-			this.decoratedDefinition = originalRbd.decoratedDefinition;
-			this.allowCaching = originalRbd.allowCaching;
-			this.targetType = originalRbd.targetType;
-			this.isFactoryMethodUnique = originalRbd.isFactoryMethodUnique;
-		}
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/spring-beans/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/DefaultListableBeanFactoryTests.java b/spring-beans/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/DefaultListableBeanFactoryTests.java
index 97c069bb76..c8a2815ca8 100644
--- a/spring-beans/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/DefaultListableBeanFactoryTests.java
+++ b/spring-beans/src/test/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/DefaultListableBeanFactoryTests.java
@@ -712,6 +712,20 @@ public class DefaultListableBeanFactoryTests {
 				factory.getMergedBeanDefinition("child"), factory.getMergedBeanDefinition("child"));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testGetTypeWorksAfterParentChildMerging() {
+		RootBeanDefinition parentDefinition = new RootBeanDefinition(TestBean.class);
+		ChildBeanDefinition childDefinition = new ChildBeanDefinition("parent", DerivedTestBean.class, null, null);
+
+		DefaultListableBeanFactory factory = new DefaultListableBeanFactory();
+		factory.registerBeanDefinition("parent", parentDefinition);
+		factory.registerBeanDefinition("child", childDefinition);
+		factory.freezeConfiguration();
+
+		assertEquals(TestBean.class, factory.getType("parent"));
+		assertEquals(DerivedTestBean.class, factory.getType("child"));
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testNameAlreadyBound() {
 		DefaultListableBeanFactory lbf = new DefaultListableBeanFactory();