US9,057,604
申請日：Apr. 14, 1989
37 C.f.R. 5.2 SECRECY ORDER.
- (a) When notified by the chief officer of a defense agency that publication or disclosure of the invention by the granting of a patent would be detrimental to the national security, an order that the invention be kept secret will be issued by the Commissioner for Patents.
- (b) Any request for compensation as provided in 35 U.S.C. 183 must not be made to the Patent and Trademark Office, but directly to the department or agency which caused the secrecy order to be issued.
- (c) An application disclosing any significant part of the subject matter of an application under a secrecy order pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section also falls within the scope of such secrecy order. Any such application that is pending before the Office must be promptly brought to the attention of Licensing and Review, unless such application is itself under a secrecy order pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section. Any subsequently filed application containing any significant part of the subject matter of an application under a secrecy order pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section must either be hand-carried to Licensing and Review or mailed to the Office in compliance with § 5.1(a).
保密令（secrecy order）指獲准專利的發明有害國防安全（美國）時，即由專利局發出保密的命令。隨後之於此保密的專利的後續案也會以相同的標準審查。
37 C.F.R. 5.3 PROSECUTION OF APPLICATION UNDER SECRECY ORDERS; WITHHOLDING PATENT.
Unless specifically ordered otherwise, action on the application by the Office and prosecution by the applicant will proceed during the time an application is under secrecy order to the point indicated in this section:
- (a) National applications under secrecy order which come to a final rejection must be appealed or otherwise prosecuted to avoid abandonment. Appeals in such cases must be completed by the applicant but unless otherwise specifically ordered by the Commissioner for Patents will not be set for hearing until the secrecy order is removed.
- (b) An interference or derivation will not be instituted involving a national application under secrecy order. An applicant whose application is under secrecy order may suggest an interference (§ 41.202(a) of this title), but the Office will not act on the request while the application remains under a secrecy order.
- (c) When the national application is found to be in condition for allowance except for the secrecy order the applicant and the agency which caused the secrecy order to be issued will be notified. This notice (which is not a notice of allowance under § 1.311 of this chapter) does not require reply by the applicant and places the national application in a condition of suspension until the secrecy order is removed. When the secrecy order is removed the Patent and Trademark Office will issue a notice of allowance under § 1.311 of this chapter, or take such other action as may then be warranted.
- (d) International applications under secrecy order will not be mailed, delivered, or otherwise transmitted to the international authorities or the applicant. International applications under secrecy order will be processed up to the point where, if it were not for the secrecy order, record and search copies would be transmitted to the international authorities or the applicant.
且當專利遭遇最終核駁，應提出訴願，避免專利被拋棄，而此時專利可能會被懸宕在訴願程序中，直到保密令被撤下。
如果專利獲准，會通知申請人，卻不要求回覆，案子將在此被懸宕，直到保密令被撤下。（本此討論就如此情況）
申請人/發明人仍有對專利被保密令鎖住的請願權，相關規定請參閱MPEP 120。
本案07/338,009的保密令：
06-23-1989 發出保密令
當時發出核准通知，不過卻發出保密令，讓專利無法公告領證。
12-09-2014 保密令取消（Secrecy Order Rescinded）
保密令取消後，本案才"浮出來"。
後語：
要成為"潛"這麼久的專利還不是太容易呢！要件如："法律不溯及既往"、在 June 8, 1995之前提出申請（保障專利權17年，如此即不適用35U.S.C.154的PTA規定）、沒有被其他專利terminal disclaimer、肯花錢（要與專利局撐下去）、這幾年沒有被其他法律規範掉（比如曾有限制RCE次數的法律），以及/或 獲得保密令。
參考資料：
Ron
沒有留言:
張貼留言