Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 66.djvu/847

 66 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 5 9 3 - J U L Y 19, 1952

801

application is filed before the issuance of the patent on the other application. If a divisional application is directed solely to subject matter described and claimed in the original application as filed, the Commissioner may dispense with signing and execution by the inventor. The validity of a patent shall not be questioned for failure of the Commissioner to require the application to be restricted to one invention. § 122. Confidential status of applications Applications for patents shall be kept in confidence by the Patent Office and no information concerning the same given without authority of the applicant or owner unless necessary to carry out the provisions of any Act of Congress or in such special circumstances as may be determined by the Commissioner. CHAPTER 12—EXAMINATION OF APPLICATION Sec.

131. 132. 133. 134. 135.

Examination of application. Notice of rejection; rexamination. Time for prosecuting application. Appeal to the Board of Appeals. Interferences.

§ 131. Examination of application The Commissioner shall cause an examination to be made of the application and the alleged new invention; and if on such examination it appears that the applicant is entitled to a patent under the law, the Commissioner shall issue a patent therefor. § 132. Notice of rejection; rexamination Whenever, on examination, any claim for a patent is rejected, or any objection or requirement made, the Commissioner shall notify the applicant thereof, stating the reasons for such rejection, or objection or requirement, together with such information and references as may be useful in judging of the propriety of continuing the prosecution of his application; and if after receiving such notice, the applicant persists in his claim for a patent, with or without amendment, the application shall be reexamined. No amendment shalj introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention. § 133. Time for prosecuting application Upon failure of the applicant to prosecute the application within six months after any action therein, of which notice has been given or mailed to the applicant, or within such shorter time, not less than thirty days, as fixed by the Commissioner in such action, the application shall be regarded as abandoned by the jjarties thereto, unless it be shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that such delay was unavoidable. § 134. Appeal to the Board of Appeals An applicant for a patent, any of whose claims has been twice rejected, may appeal from the decision of the primary examiner to the Board of Appeals, having once paid the fee for such appeal. § 135. Interferences Whenever an application is made for a patent which, in the opinion of the Commissioner, would interfere with any pending application, or with any unexpired patent, he shall give notice thereof to the applicants, or applicant and patentee, as the case may be. The question of priority of invention shall be determined by a board of patent interferences (consisting of three examiners of interferences) whose decision, if adverse to the claim of an applicant, shall constitute

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