2008年11月4日 星期二

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

美國專利法第154條(a)

美國專利法第154條 ─ 內容與專利期限,與暫時權利
其中(a)段規範了專利權的範圍,還有專利有效期限、優先權等權利

原文:
§154. Contents and term of patent; provisional rights
(a)
In general.
(1)
Contents. Every patent shall contain a short title of the invention and a grant to the patentee, his heirs or assigns, of the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States, and, if the invention is a process, of the right to exclude others from using, offering for sale or selling throughout the United States, or importing into the United States, products made by that process, referring to the specification for the particulars thereof.
[翻譯]每一件專利包括有發明名稱、專利權人、繼承者或是受讓人,用以排除他人製造、使用、提供販賣、販賣或進口,若發明是一個流程,則排除他人由此流程製造的物品(參考說明書)在美國提供販賣、販賣或是進口

所以方法專利的範圍及於該方法所產生的物品,然此處再說明這類演繹會參考說明書

(2)
Term. Subject to the payment of fees under this title, such grant shall be for a term beginning on the date on which the patent issues and ending 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, if the application contains a specific reference to an earlier filed application or applications under section 120, 121, or 365(c) of this title, from the date on which the earliest such application was filed.
[翻譯]專利有效期限是起於領證日,也就是繳交領證費時,並結束於美國申請日後20年,但如果申請案是基於美國專利法第120條(接續案)、第121條(分割案)或第365(c)條(美國國內優先權,包括指定美國的國際申請案),專利有效期限的計算則始於較早申請案

美國專利法第120條規範了具有前案申請日好處(benefit)的接續案,比如CIP, CA, 分割案(121)等,這些專利有效日都從前申請案的申請日起算,同樣包括CIP案中新增的部分;
而美國專利法第365(c)條中則述及以下兩種優先權的例子,應都可解釋為美國國內優先權,同樣,這些專利有效日都從前申請案的申請日起算:
一是:prior national application,優先權主張為國內前申請案
二是:prior international application designating the United States,優先權主張為指定美國的國際申請案

(3)
Priority. Priority under section 119, 365(a), or 365(b) of this title shall not be taken into account in determining the term of a patent.
[翻譯]若申請案是基於美國專利法第119條(國際優先權)、第365(a)條(有指定至少一個除了美國以外的國家的國際申請案)或第365(b)條(指定美國的國際申請案指定他國或其他國際申請案的優先權)所規定的優先權,則較早申請日並不用於計算該申請案的專利有效期限

若主張為國際優先權,專利期限仍由該美國申請案申請日起算

(4)
Specification and drawing. A copy of the specification and drawing shall be annexed to the patent and be a part of such patent.
[翻譯]說明書與圖示為專利的一部分

Ron

2008年10月31日 星期五

Prior Smart

http://www.priorsmart.com/

這個Prior Smart . com提供了可以檢索各國的介面
十分受用,可以找到主要的國家或是專利局,還有一些比較少接觸的國家
以下是利用關鍵字找到阿根廷的專利,結果發現是利用espacenet的資料庫!


Ron

印度第一件聲音商標 (soundmark)

印度第一件聲音商標 (soundmark)

2008年8月18日印度核准一件Yahoo申請的聲音商標,也是印度第一件
想當然爾,應該就是廣告會聽到的那個聲音Yahoo~~~~
文件中形容three-note Yahoo yodel
http://www.uspto.gov/go/kids/soundex/75807526.mp3

好玩的是,哈雷機車(Harley-Davidson)也想要申請它的引擎聲"Chug"...
經過多年的訴訟,還是放棄了,原因是這可能是很多引擎都有類似的聲音,不符合可區隔別的產品或服務的商標宗旨

Intel的Pentium processor的三個和弦聲也被核准!

另外,USPTO這頁收集了許多的soundmark
http://www.uspto.gov/go/kids/kidsound.html


Ron

2008年10月30日 星期四

About claims XIV - Omnibus Claims

美國專利法第112條規範了美國專利說明書的寫作規則
112內容可參考:
http://enpan.blogspot.com/2008/07/about-claims-ii.html
尤其是針對申請專利範圍的基本規範,比如說明書要包括一或多個請求項,並要特別指出該發明的標的

MPEP2173.05(r)提到Omnibus Claim (應該可翻譯成綜合性的請求項)

原文:
Some applications are filed with an omnibus claim which reads as follows: A device substantially as shown and described. This claim should be rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, because it is indefinite in that it fails to point out what is included or excluded by the claim language. See Ex parte Fressola, 27 USPQ2d 1608 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1993), for a discussion of the history of omnibus claims and an explanation of why omnibus claims do not comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.

此段內容提到一個錯誤的請求項範例:一個實質上如圖顯示並說明書描述的裝置(我盡力全部的字都翻出來,A device substantially as shown and descreibed),或是"the apparatus as shown and described in figures 1-6",或是"any and all features of novelty described, referred to, exemplified, or shown,..."這樣的範圍,都是不符合112第二段的規定(non-statutory),原因是這句話並未清楚指出何者是要保護的或是要排除的範圍,表示種綜合性的請求項語句並不符合發明專利的規定,但是設計專利(design patent)卻可使用,因為以圖說為主!

實務上可以看到,審查委員幾乎都是在申請專利範圍的語句上打轉,強調單純由Claim就要知道範圍(也就是常講的:Claims must define "the invention"),雖然也是要參考說明書內容來解釋專利申請範圍,但是如果由Claim language就可以清楚得知,就是不錯的Claim。尤其是面對日後可能的侵權問題,對於建構何者為專利排他的部分、何者不是,都是圍繞在Claim language上,所以清楚表達該發明的申請專利範圍的Claim是最基本的要求!

另一個基本規範是:
要符合一或以上的法定類別(statutory classes),包括美國專利法第101條規定的process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter
故,單純的數學方法,若並未帶出任何可供產業利用的功效,並無法專利;相反地,商業方法雖可能不符各法定標的,但是有帶出特定功效,符合新穎性、進步性,仍可專利

以上資料來源:MPEP, Landis on Mechanics of Patent Claim Drafting

上述omnibus claims在一些國家仍可被接受
請參考一件WO/1995/012843


Ron

2008年10月22日 星期三

37 CFR 1.121(d) - 圖式修正

37 CFR 1.121(d)規範圖式修正的注意事項
原文:
Drawings: One or more application drawings shall be amended in the following manner:
Any changes to an application drawing must be in compliance with Sec. 1.84 and must be submitted on a replacement sheet of drawings which shall be an attachment to the amendment document and, in the top margin, labeled "Replacement Sheet."
這裡說到,修正的圖式上方要標明"Replacement Sheet"

Any replacement sheet of drawings shall include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is amended. Any new sheet of drawings containing an additional figure must be labeled in the top margin as "New Sheet." All changes to the drawings shall be explained, in detail, in either the drawing amendment or remarks section of the amendment paper.
新增的圖式則標明"New Sheet",有任何圖式修正,都要將所有的圖呈交USPTO

(1)A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, may be included. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as "Annotated Sheet" and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change to the drawings.
(2)A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, must be provided when required by the examiner.
所有圖式修正都要註解,比如寫在答辯書中的特定heading中,範例如下:


事實上,圖式修正如果仍未符合規定,還是會發出objection,範例如下:

審查委員在審查意見中會提出類似以下範例的要求,如不用在修正圖面上標示amended,如果有刪除的圖式,應該要移除,並重新編號圖式的號碼,如Fig.3改為Fig.2,在修正/新增圖面上標示"replacement sheet"或是"new sheet"


Ron

2008年10月20日 星期一

JPO patent searching

進入 http://www.jpo.go.jp/
點選左下角 "Industrial Property Digital Library (IPDL)"進入各種專利資料庫

針對發明與新型的資料庫有:

  1. Patent & Utility Model Gazette DB (公報資料庫)
  2. Patent & Utility Model Concordance (簡易介面,可以顯示各專利文件的狀態)
  3. FI/F-term Search (算是一種進階檢索)
  4. PAJ (利用多種關鍵字的檢索介面)
  5. Patent Map Guidance (專利地圖)
進入文件頁面,可以看到即時翻譯的英文版本,以我的經驗而言,可參考性頗高



Ron