2009年9月4日 星期五

About Claims XXIV - product-by-process

Product-by-Process Claims

此類寫法是透過流程描述一個物品或元件
特別可用在利用特定方法完成的物品的寫法
以電阻上所被覆的碳為例,即可寫為被覆的碳透過分解碳氫化合物的氣體沈澱於核心上
(a coating of carbon deposited on the core by decomposition of a hydrocarbon gas in the presence of the core)

實務上,可以在獨立項用一般方式描述各元件,而再於附屬項以product-by-process描述特定元件

透過product by process的描述,可以把不是新的元件,寫成利用特別的步驟形成的元件,即具有新穎性了
但針對進步性的判斷,則應該還是視最終產物(final product)是否具有進步性,此時,用何步驟已經不是重點!也就是步驟具有專利性,並不代表最終產物具有專利性,除非此步驟會影響此裝置的特性,則可能因為此步驟具有專利性,而使得整個發明具有專利性!
Patentability of a product-by-process claim is based on the product itself and does not depend on its method of production.

然而,在侵權的角度,Product-by-Process的權利範圍中,其中記載描述特定元件的步驟皆會被作為侵權判斷的範圍

有個範例,提到LED晶圓的製作:
A wafer for production of an LED prepared by a process comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an n-GaAs single crystalline substrate;
(b) contacting the substrate with a melt comprising GaAs and Si in an amount of from 0.1 to 0.5 wt% at a temperature of from 900 to 950EC;
(c) cooling the melt while maintaining contact with the substrate at a rate of 5E/min to form a Si-doped GaAs epitaxial layer on the substrate comprising a pn junction; and
(d) separating the substrate from the melt.
雖然形式像是流程,但是明顯就是透過流程描述出各部元件,所以專利性仍會考慮最終產物,而非流程步驟


參考資料:Landis on Mechanics of Patent Claim Drafting
http://www.sughrue.com
Ron

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