美國專利法第120條

美國專利法第120條

[原文]
§120. Benefit of earlier filing date in the United States

An application for patent for an invention disclosed in the manner provided by the first paragraph of section 112 of this title [35 USC 112] in an application previously filed in the United States, or as provided by section 363 of this title [35 USC 363], which is filed by an inventor or inventors named in the previously filed application shall have the same effect, as to such invention, as though filed on the date of the prior application, if filed before the patenting or abandonment of or termination of proceedings on the first application or on an application similarly entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the first application and if it contains or is amended to contain a specific reference to the earlier filed application. No application shall be entitled to the benefit of an earlier filed application under this section unless an amendment containing the specific reference to the earlier filed application is submitted at such time during the pendency of the application as required by the Director. The Director may consider the failure to submit such an amendment within that time period as a waiver of any benefit under this section. The Director may establish procedures, including the payment of a surcharge, to accept an unintentionally delayed submission of an amendment under this section.

此段主要是規範美國母案申請案後延續案的利益
母案包括美國申請案或是由國際專利組織指定進入美國的申請案，這些前申請案的申請日皆為其延續案的技術審查基準日，而審查人員在審理延續案時，需考慮到審查時間內任何修正是否破壞因為母案產生的利益！比如除了CIP案以外，在延續案中新增母案所未揭露過的內容

進入美國國家階段的案子，基本上，其利益包括如美國專利法第119(a)（WTO會員國12個月優先權的相關規定）條與365(b)條的規定的國外優先權主張；並國內優先權的利益，國內優先權包括上述120條中各延續案所能主張的利益，與第119(e)條臨時申請案（Provisional）的利益

Ron