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1895 A Continuation>, Divisional,< or Continuation- in- Part Application of a PCT Application Designating the United States [R-2] - 1800 Patent Cooperation Treaty
1895 A Continuation>, Divisional,< or Continuation- in- Part Application of a PCT Application Designating the United States [R-2]
It is possible to file a U.S. national application under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) during the pendency (prior to the abandonment) of an international application which designates the United States without completing the requirements for entering the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371(c). The ability to take such action is based on provisions of the United States patent law. 35 U.S.C. 363 provides that "[a]n international application designating the United States shall have the effect, from its international filing date under article 11 of the treaty, of a national application for patent regularly filed in the Patent and Trademark Office...." 35 U.S.C. 371(d) indicates that failure to timely comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 371(c) "shall be regarded as abandonment... by the parties thereof...." It is therefore clear that an international application which designates the United States has the effect of a pending U.S. application from the international application filing date until its abandonment as to the United States. The first sentence of 35 U.S.C. 365(c) specifically provides that "[i]n accordance with the conditions and requirements of section 120 of this title,... a national application shall be entitled to the benefit of the filing date of a prior international application designating the United States." The condition of 35 U.S.C. 120 relating to the time of filing requires the later application to be filed before the patenting or abandonment of or termination of proceedings on the first application. The filing of continuations ** of an international (PCT) application designating the U.S. was used primarily in instances where there was difficulty in obtaining a signed oath or declaration by the expiration of the time for entry into the national stage. Because these continuation ** applications historically resulted from a need to bypass the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 371, they became known as "bypass" applications. Since applicants are now notified of missing or defective oaths or declarations and/or translations, and are given a time period to respond which is extendable under 37 CFR 1.136(a), the use of this practice >with respect to continuation applications< has diminished.
**>Continuation-in-part applications are generally filed in instances where applicants seek to add matter to the disclosure which is not supported by the disclosure of the international application as originally filed, as new matter may not be added to a U.S. national stage application. See 37 CFR 1.121(f).<
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