2010年10月22日 星期五

英國審查檢索報告收到之後

英國審查階段,在申請案公開之前,會提出檢索報告並可能附帶審查意見,申請人收到之後,一般來說,會有很長的回覆時限,但仍鼓勵申請人盡早處理,以免影響公開的時間與內容

根據英國專利法第18(3)條:
經審查委員提出檢索報告時,應提供申請人在一定時間內的期限回應該報告,並能提出修訂以符合相關專利要求,若之後並未能符合專利規定,則將提核駁
[原文]
(3) If the examiner reports that any of those requirements are not complied with, the comptroller shall give the applicant an opportunity within a specified period to make observations on the report and to amend the application so as to comply with those requirements (subject, however, to section 76(new matter的規定) below), and if the applicant fails to satisfy the comptroller that those requirements are complied with, or to amend the application so as to comply with them, the comptroller may refuse the application.

接獲檢索報告或審查意見時,有以下可能後續程序:
  1. 可在提出完整答辯以前先主動提出修訂,之後進入公開時(若審查意見是在申請案公開前提出),將以此主動修訂的內容為主
  2. 如果在申請案公開前提出完整的答辯內容,則可能使得公開程序被延後,頂多延遲3個月
  3. 在申請人提出完整答辯後,在專利局提出回應(再審)前,若經答辯而符合所有的專利要求且此申請案尚未公開,專利局應先審視其專利性後,且再提出完整檢索報告才提出再審意見
  4. 經答辯而符合全部專利要求,則盡量於公開後3個月內提出核准意見,但仍可能會找到新的核駁理由
英國專利法第18(4)條:
若申請人於期限內提出答辯或修訂,審查委員應通知申請人繳錢以獲發專利證書
[原文]
(4) If the examiner reports that the application, whether as originally filed or as amended in
pursuance of section 15A above, this section or section 19 below, complies with those requirements at any time before the end of the prescribed period, the comptroller shall notify the applicant of that fact and, subject to subsection (5) and sections 19 and 22 below and on payment within the prescribed period of any fee prescribed for the grant, grant him a patent.

Ron

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