日本偏移修正（shift amendment）筆記

筆記

偏移修正（shift amendment）是指申請專利範圍中因為缺乏單一性（以STF判斷）而選擇其中之一發明請求項繼續審理，但是審理過程中因為修正而"偏到"另一組未被審查的發明請求項，這種修正在日本曾經被允許過，應該就是在尚未明文建立目前日本專利法以STF作為單一性判斷的根據的機制前。

在發明專利法第17-2(1)規定中，申請人可以在專利核准審查決定前提出修正，可修說明書以及請求項範圍。在第17-2(4)規定中，除了這個修正規定外，當審查委員已經做出審查意見後，修正範圍應在滿足單一性要求的請求項範圍內。這裡就是規範偏移修正（shift amendment）的法條，因此，在已經接獲審查意見後，不得進行偏移修正。

相關法條：
Article 17-2 (1) An applicant for a patent may amend the description, scope of claims, or drawings attached to the application, before the service of the certified copy of the examiner's decision notifying that a patent is to be granted; provided, however, that following the receipt of a notice provided under Article 50, an amendment may only be made in the following cases: (Note: The rest of (i)~(iv) cases and Article 17-2 (2) (3) were omitted)

Article 17-2 (4) (Amendment of Description, Claim or Drawing attached to the application)
(4) In addition to the case provided in the preceding paragraph, where any amendment of the scope of claims is made in the cases listed in the aspects of paragraph (1), the invention for which determination on its patentability is stated in the notice of reasons for refusal received prior to making the amendment and the invention constituted by the matters described in the amended scope of claims shall be of a group of inventions recognized as fulfilling the requirements of unity of invention set forth in Article 37. 

以下資料來自日本專利局作出的審查綱要：
日本專利審查與救濟流程：


一般修正的時間規定：


修正的限制：


最後通知的修正限制：


不得進行偏移修正的圖示：
不得做出改變STF的偏移修正，這裡提到一旦在單一性（有不同的STF）上有了選擇，並已經接獲核駁審查意見，就不能偏移修正。


資料參考：
https://www.jpo.go.jp/tetuzuki_e/t_tokkyo_e/pdf/outline_guideline_patents/outline.pdf

先前一些與偏移修正（shift amendment）有關的資訊：
日本專利單一性：http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2010/11/blog-post_17.html

Ron