1132 Requests for Redacted Publication
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(b) PUBLICATION.—
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(2) EXCEPTIONS.—
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(B) (v) If an applicant has filed applications in one or more foreign countries, directly or through a multilateral international agreement, and such foreign filed applications corresponding to an application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office or the description of the invention in such foreign filed applications is less extensive than the application or description of the invention in the application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office, the applicant may submit a redacted copy of the application filed in the Patent and Trademark Office eliminating any part or description of the invention in such application that is not also contained in any of the corresponding applications filed in a foreign country. The Director may only publish the redacted copy of the application unless the redacted copy of the application is not received within 16 months after the earliest effective filing date for which a benefit is sought under this title. The provisions of section 154(d) shall not apply to a claim if the description of the invention published in the redacted application filed under this clause with respect to the claim does not enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the subject matter of the claim.
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(a) If an applicant has filed applications in one or more foreign countries, directly or through a multilateral international agreement, and such foreign-filed applications or the description of the invention in such foreign-filed applications is less extensive than the application or description of the invention in the application filed in the Office, the applicant may submit a redacted copy of the application filed in the Office for publication, eliminating any part or description of the invention that is not also contained in any of the corresponding applications filed in a foreign country. The Office will publish the application as provided in § 1.215(a) unless the applicant files a redacted copy of the application in compliance with this section within sixteen months after the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought under title 35, United States Code.
(b) The redacted copy of the application must be submitted in compliance with the Office electronic filing system requirements. The title of the invention in the redacted copy of the application must correspond to the title of the application at the time the redacted copy of the application is submitted to the Office. If the redacted copy of the application does not comply with the Office electronic filing system requirements, the Office will publish the application as provided in § 1.215(a).
(c) The applicant must also concurrently submit in paper (§ 1.52(a)) to be filed in the application:
(1) A certified copy of each foreign-filed application that corresponds to the application for which a redacted copy is submitted;
(2) A translation of each such foreign-filed application that is in a language other than English, and a statement that the translation is accurate;
(3) A marked-up copy of the application showing the redactions in brackets; and
(4) A certification that the redacted copy of the application eliminates only the part or description of the invention that is not contained in any application filed in a foreign country, directly or through a multilateral international agreement, that corresponds to the application filed in the Office.
(d) The Office will provide a copy of the complete file wrapper and contents of an application for which a redacted copy was submitted under this section to any person upon written request pursuant to § 1.14(c)(2), unless applicant complies with the requirements of paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), and (d)(3) of this section.
(1) Applicant must accompany the submission required by paragraph (c) of this section with the following:
(i) A copy of any Office correspondence previously received by applicant including any desired redactions, and a second copy of all Office correspondence previously received by applicant showing the redacted material in brackets; and
(ii) A copy of each submission previously filed by the applicant including any desired redactions, and a second copy of each submission previously filed by the applicant showing the redacted material in brackets.(2) In addition to providing the submission required by paragraphs (c) and (d)(1) of this section, applicant must:
(i) Within one month of the date of mailing of any correspondence from the Office, file a copy of such Office correspondence including any desired redactions, and a second copy of such Office correspondence showing the redacted material in brackets; and
(ii) With each submission by the applicant, include a copy of such submission including any desired redactions, and a second copy of such submission showing the redacted material in brackets.(3) Each submission under paragraph (d)(1) or (d)(2) of this paragraph must also be accompanied by the processing fee set forth in § 1.17(i) and a certification that the redactions are limited to the elimination of material that is relevant only to the part or description of the invention that was not contained in the redacted copy of the application submitted for publication.
(e) The provisions of § 1.8 do not apply to the time periods set forth in this section.
The Office will publish the redacted (less extensive) copy of the application instead of the full description of the invention disclosed in the U.S. application if applicant timely files a request for redacted publication in compliance with 37 CFR 1.217 which requires the following:
- A redacted copy of the application in compliance with the Office electronic filing system (EFS) requirements within sixteen (16) months after the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought;
- A certified copy of each foreign-filed application that corresponds to the U.S. application for which a redacted copy is submitted;
- A translation of each such foreign-filed application that is in a language other than English, and a statement that the translation is accurate;
- A marked-up copy of the application showing the redactions in brackets; and
- A certification that the redacted copy of the application eliminates only the part or description of the invention that is not contained in any application filed in a foreign country, directly or through a multilateral international agreement, that corresponds to the application filed in the Office.
The 16-month period is provided by statute, and as such, requests for waiver of this 16-month period will be denied.
- The title of the invention in the redacted copy of the application must correspond to the title of the application at the time the redacted copy of the application is submitted to the Office.
- If the redacted copy of the application does not comply with the Office electronic filing system requirements, the Office will publish the full description of the invention disclosed in the U.S. application.
Once an application has been published, a member of the public may request a copy of the complete file wrapper and contents of, or a copy of a specific paper in, the published application, provided that no redacted copy was timely submitted for publication.
If a redacted copy of the application was used for publication, the copy of the specification, drawings, and papers may be limited to a redacted copy, provided that the applicant submits the following:
- (A) A copy of any Office correspondence previously received by applicant including any desired redactions, and a second copy of all Office correspondence previously received by applicant showing the redacted material in brackets, at the time of filing the request for redacted publication;
- (B) A copy of each submission previously filed by the applicant including any desired redactions, and a second copy of each submission previously filed by the applicant showing the redacted material in brackets, at the time of filing the request for redacted publication;
- (C) Within one month of the date of mailing of any correspondence from the Office, a copy of such Office correspondence including any desired redactions, and a second copy of such Office correspondence showing the redacted material in brackets;
- (D) With each submission by the applicant, a copy of such submission including any desired redactions, and a second copy of such submission showing the redacted material in brackets; and
- (E) The processing fee, and a certification that the redactions are limited to the elimination of material that is relevant only to the part or description of the invention that was not contained in the redacted copy of the application submitted for publication for each submission in (A)-(D).
Papers submitted for redaction are not entitled to the benefit of the certificate of mailing practice.
- If applicant fails to provide the required redacted and marked up copies of the correspondence in compliance, the Office will provide a copy of the complete file wrapper and contents of the application to any person upon written request.
1133 Voluntary Publication
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(a) Any request for publication of an application filed before, but pending on, November 29, 2000, and any request for republication of an application previously published under § 1.211, must include a copy of the application in compliance with the Office electronic filing system requirements and be accompanied by the publication fee set forth in § 1.18(d) and the processing fee set forth in § 1.17(i). If the request does not comply with the requirements of this paragraph or the copy of the application does not comply with the Office electronic filing system requirements, the Office will not publish the application and will refund the publication fee.
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Utility and plant applications filed before November 29, 2000 will not be published.
- If an applicant wishes the Office to publish a utility or plant application filed before November 29, 2000, applicant may file a request for voluntary publication.
The application must be pending and the request for voluntary publication must include:
- a copy of the application in compliance with the Office Electronic Filing System (EFS) requirements;
- the publication fee; and
- the processing fee.
If the applicant submits a request that does not meet the EFS requirements, the request will be dismissed.
- Since the Office does not intend to publish abandoned applications, applications that are recognized by the Office as abandoned will not be published.
- Thus, if applicant submits a request for a voluntary publication of an application, but the application is later abandoned before the application publishes, the application may not be published even if the Office has accepted the request.
» 1134 Third Party Inquiries and Correspondence in a Published Application
