2016年9月2日 星期五

Missing Parts策略與範例

MPEP 607 FILING FEE

回應「缺漏補件(missing parts)」可以伴隨「初步修正」,而初步修正更可包括刪減專利範圍而減少請求項次,讓專利局可以重新計算請求項費用(超項費)。反而,如果是在之前已經繳付費用的情況下,卻不能退回費用。
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An amendment canceling claims accompanying the papers constituting the application will be effective to diminish the number of claims to be considered in calculating the filing fees to be paid. A preliminary amendment filed concurrently with a response to a Notice To File Missing Parts of Application that required the fees set forth in 37 CFR 1.16, which preliminary amendment cancels or adds claims, will be taken into account in determining the appropriate fees due in response to the Notice To File Missing Parts of Application. No refund will be made for claims being canceled in the response that have already been paid for.
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MPEP 601.01(A)    NONPROVISIONAL APPLICATIONS FILED UNDER 35 U.S.C. 111(A)

AIA前後對缺漏補件有不同的規定:(適用新申請案與再領證案)

發出Missing Parts通知的理由包括:申請時並未繳交基本申請費、檢索費、審查費、發明人宣誓書,USPTO一般給予兩個月內補漏期限,未於期限內補件申請案將被拋棄。
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For applications filed before September 16, 2012, the Office issued a Notice to File Missing Parts if an application under 37 CFR 1.53(b) did not contain the basic filing fee, the search fee, or the examination fee, or the inventor's oath or declaration, and the applicant was given a time period (usually two months) within which to file the missing basic filing fee, the search fee, the examination fee, or the inventor's oath or declaration and pay the surcharge required by 37 CFR 1.16(f) to avoid abandonment. See subsection II.C. below for additional information regarding completion of a nonprovisional application filed before September 16, 2012.
AIA之後,申請日在2012/9/16之後的申請案,缺漏補件中的「發明人宣誓書(不包括費用)」可以延遲至申請案核准時,之後又修法,申請人可在繳付「領證費」前(或同時,no later)提出發明人宣誓書(不包括費用)」,不會影響專利領證。
For applications filed on or after September 16, 2012, the former missing parts practice under pre-AIA 37 CFR 1.53(f) was revised to allow applicants to postpone filing the inventor's oath or declaration until the application is otherwise in condition for allowance. 37 CFR 1.53(f) was further revised, effective December 18, 2013, to require that, for applications filed on or after September 16, 2012, the inventor’s oath or declaration in compliance with 37 CFR 1.63 or a substitute statement in compliance with 37 CFR 1.64 must be filed no later than the date the issue fee is paid to avoid abandonment of the application. This time period is not extendable under 37 CFR 1.136 (see 37 CFR 1.136(c) ). The Office may dispense with the notice under 37 CFR 1.53(f)(1) if each required oath or declaration in compliance with 37 CFR 1.63 or substitute statement in compliance with 37 CFR 1.64 has been filed before the application is in condition for allowance.
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費用則是嚴格要求依照期限繳交:
While the inventor's oath or declaration will not be required to be filed within the period for reply to the Notice to File Missing Parts if the applicant provides a signed application data sheet providing the information required by 37 CFR 1.53(f)(3)(i), any required filing fees and surcharge required by 37 CFR 1.16(f) must be filed within the period for reply to the Notice to File Missing Parts to avoid abandonment.

MPEP 708.02(B)    PRIORITIZED EXAMINATION

是否符合申請要件會影響專利審查時間,包括「缺件」,會使得專利申請案無法加速(即便提出加速請求)
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Applicants may receive a notice regarding informalities in their application (e.g., a notice to file corrected application papers because the application papers are not in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52) which will delay a decision on the request for prioritized examination; however, the request for prioritized examination may still be granted if the request is otherwise compliant with 37 CFR 1.102(e)(1). Any pre-examination notice from the Office of Patent Application Processing will delay a decision on the request for prioritized examination until after applicant has filed a complete and timely reply to the pre-examination notice. Any request for an extension of time, including an extension of time for the purpose of responding to a pre-examination notice (e.g., Notice to File Missing Parts), will cause the application to be ineligible for further treatment under the prioritized examination program. A request for an extension of time prior to the grant of prioritized examination status will prevent such status from being granted.
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範例:
這個Missing Part通知要求此通知發出後兩個月內繳付申請相關費用,包括:申請費$390、$130超出費、$620檢索費、$250審查費等。

特別也提到,如果申請缺陷關於發明人的宣誓書(oath, declaration),補件不能晚於核准通知(notice of allowability)。


申請人補件:


my two cents:
因此,善用「缺漏補件」可能不見得是程序"瑕疵",反而可以是一種「申請策略」,可以在回應Missing Parts時同時提出「初步修正」,甚至是改變專利範圍數量,以此改變費用。

「發明人宣誓書」的缺漏補件放鬆,主要是讓申請人不用因為找不到發明人簽名而影響申請案,甚至可以在"找不到"發明人情況下提出配套措施。

可參考:AIA提出較寬容的宣誓書簽署辦法(http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2012/08/aia.html

參考文件(AIA後發明人宣誓書補件規定):
https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/aia_implementation/inventors-oath-or-declaration-quick-reference-guide.pdf

Ron

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