美國專利法第154條(b)

美國專利法第154條 ─ 內容與專利期限，與暫時權利
其中(b)段敘述了調整專利權有效期限的規定

(b)
Adjustment of patent term

部分原文：
(A)
Guarantee of prompt patent and trademark office responses. Subject to the limitations under paragraph (2), if the issue of an original patent is delayed due to the failure of the Patent and Trademark Office to--
(i)
provide at least one of the notifications under section 132 of this title or a notice of allowance under section 151 of this title not later than 14 months after the date on which an application was filed under section 111(a) of this title; or (II) the date on which an international application fulfilled the requirements of section 371 of this title;
(ii)
respond to a reply under section 132, or to an appeal taken under section 134, within 4 months after the date on which the reply was filed or the appeal was taken;
(iii)
act on an application within 4 months after the date of a decision by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences under section 134 or 135 or a decision by a Federal court under section 141, 145, or 146 in a case in which allowable claims remain in the application; or
(iv)
issue a patent within 4 months after the date on which the issue fee was paid under section 151 and all outstanding requirements were satisfied, the term of the patent shall be extended 1 day for each day after the end of the period specified in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv), as the case may be, until the action described in such clause is taken.

其中第一段提及若專利因USPTO有下列情形而有誤，保障專利權有效期限可延長，各情況可依照延遲的天數補償，如延遲一天則補償一天：

1. USPTO發出核駁、舉發或是核准通知，未超過14個月
2. USPTO回覆核駁理由、或回覆舉發答辯、或訴願理由，在4個月內
3. USPTO回覆訴願及衝突委員會，或是聯邦巡迴法院有關可核准專利的決定，在4個月內
   
4. USPTO在專利權人繳付領證費後，在4個月內發出領證通知

(B)
Guarantee of no more than 3-year application pendency. Subject to the limitations under paragraph (2), if the issue of an original patent is delayed due to the failure of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to issue a patent within 3 years after the actual filing date of the application in the United States, not including--
(i)
any time consumed by continued examination of the application requested by the applicant under section 132(b);
(ii)
any time consumed by a proceeding under section 135(a), any time consumed by the imposition of an order under section 181, or any time consumed by appellate review by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences or by a Federal court; or
(iii)
any delay in the processing of the application by the United States Patent and Trademark Office requested by the applicant except as permitted by paragraph (3)(C), the term of the patent shall be extended 1 day for each day after the end of that 3-year period until the patent is issued.

第二段提出申請案不能延宕超過三年，但有以下例外情況：

1. 消耗在專利法第132(b)條所規定的核駁、被舉發等接續審查的申請案的時間
2. 消耗在專利法第135(a)條所規定在訴願及衝突委員會或法院判斷專利有效性，或審理的期間
3. 消耗在專利法第181條所規定美國國家安全相關爭議的時間
4. 於請求專利有效期限調整的請求所消耗的時間

Ron