1201 Introduction
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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) in administering the Patent Laws makes many decisions of a substantive nature which the applicant may feel deny him or her the patent protection to which he or she is entitled.
The differences of opinion on such matters can be justly resolved only by prescribing and following judicial procedures.
Where the differences of opinion concern the denial of patent claims because of prior art or other patentability issues, the questions thereby raised are said to relate to the merits, and appeal procedure within the Office and to the courts has long been provided by statute.
The processing of ex parte appeals to the Board was significantly changed by the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act or the AIA and by the final rule “Rules of Practice Before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences in Ex Parte Appeals.
Unless otherwise noted, the discussion of the ex parte appeal practice before the Board in this chapter is primarily directed to appeals wherein the notice of appeal was filed on or after January 23, 2012, or to proceedings commenced on or after September 16, 2012.
1202 Composition of Board
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(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND COMPOSITION.— There shall be in the Office a Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The Director, the Deputy Director, the Commissioner for Patents, the Commissioner for Trademarks, and the administrative patent judges shall constitute the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The administrative patent judges shall be persons of competent legal knowledge and scientific ability who are appointed by the Secretary, in consultation with the Director. Any reference in any Federal law, Executive order, rule, regulation, or delegation of authority, or any document of or pertaining to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences is deemed to refer to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
(b) DUTIES.— The Patent Trial and Appeal Board shall—
(1) on written appeal of an applicant, review adverse decisions of examiners upon applications for patents pursuant to section 134(a);
(2) review appeals of reexaminations pursuant to section 134(b);
(3) conduct derivation proceedings pursuant to section 135; and
(4) conduct inter partes reviews and post-grant reviews pursuant to chapters 31 and 32.
(c) 3-MEMBER PANELS.— Each appeal, derivation proceeding, post-grant review, and inter partes review shall be heard by at least three members of the Board, who shall be designated by the Director. Only the Patent Trial and Appeal Board may grant rehearings.
(d) TREATMENT OF PRIOR APPOINTMENTS.—The Secretary of Commerce may, in the Secretary’s discretion, deem the appointment of an administrative patent judge who, before the date of the enactment of this subsection, held office pursuant to an appointment by the Director to take effect on the date on which the Director initially appointed the administrative patent judge. It shall be a defense to a challenge to the appointment of an administrative patent judge on the basis of the judge’s having been originally appointed by the Director that the administrative patent judge so appointed was acting as a de facto officer.
