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724.04(b) Materials Submitted in Reissue Applications Open to the Public Under 37 CFR 1.11(b) [R-6] - 700 Examination of Applications
724.04(b) Materials Submitted in Reissue Applications Open to the Public Under 37 CFR 1.11(b) [R-6]
Any materials submitted under MPEP § 724.02 in a reissue application open to the public under 37 CFR 1.11(b) will be treated in the following manner:
(A) Materials submitted under MPEP § 724.02 will only be released to the public with any other application papers if no petition to expunge (37 CFR 1.59) was filed prior to the mailing of a notice of allowability or notice of abandonment, or if a petition to expunge was filed and the petition was denied. The submitted information will be maintained separate from the reissue application file and will not be publicly available until a determination has been made as to whether or not the information is **>material to patentability<.
(B) If the reissue application is to be abandoned, prior to the mailing of a notice of abandonment, the examiner will review the reissue application file and determine if a petition to expunge is in the reissue application file but not acted upon. If a petition to expunge has been filed, irrespective of whether the materials are found to be **>material to< patentability, the petition to expunge will be granted and the materials expunged. If no petition to expunge has been filed, the materials will be available to the public under 37 CFR 1.11(b).
(C) If the reissue application is being allowed, prior to the mailing of a notice of allowability, the examiner will review the reissue application file and determine if a petition to expunge is in the reissue application file but not acted upon. The examiner, or other appropriate Office official who is responsible for considering the information, will make a determination as to whether or not any portion or all of the information submitted is **>material to patentability<.
(D) If any portion or all of the submitted information is found **>to be material to patentability<, the petition to expunge will be denied and the information will thereafter become a permanent part of the reissue application file and open to the public. >Where a submission containing protected material is found to be material to patentability, it still may be possible to redact the submission to eliminate the protected material while retaining the important material (e.g., where a confidential identifying number, such as a serial number or social security number, is included, which is not needed for the context of the submission). If so, the redacted version may be submitted to the Office along with a petition under 37 CFR 1.182 requesting that the unredacted version be sealed and be replaced with the redacted version.<
(E) If any portion or all of the submitted information is found not to be **>material to patentability<, the petition to expunge will be granted and the information expunged.
(F) If a petition to expunge is not filed prior to the mailing of the notice of allowability, the materials submitted under MPEP § 724.02 will become a permanent part of the reissue application file and open to the public under 37 CFR 1.11(b).
(G) Any petition to expunge a portion or all of the submitted information will be treated in accordance with MPEP § 724.05.
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