| 1. Outline |
| |
In fiscal 2000, the JPO started a consolidated examination program to meet applicants' needs. Since then, we have been examining some groups of applications which have technical relevance, as one batch. This effort has been leading the high-quality examination results with comprehensive understandings of relationships among applications and the same criteria of examination.
|
| 2. Process of consolidated examination program |
| |
Consolidated examination program will be carried out through the following steps. |
| |
| (1) Request from an applicant for a consolidated examination by E-mail. |
| (2) Sending a list of relevant applications to the applicant from the JPO. |
| (3) Returning the list of relevant applications by the applicant to the JPO. |
| (4) Implementing the consolidated examination and the comprehensive explanation / interview. |
|
| |
(1) Request from an applicant for consolidated examination. |
| |
|
Applicants who wish to have their inventions examined under the consolidated examination program in fiscal 2006 should apply to the Examination Policy Planning Section by E-mail by September 30th, 2005.
E-mail address: PA2Z00@jpo.go.jp
|
| |
(2) Sending a list of relevant applications. |
| |
|
a) |
The Examination Policy Planning Section will send a list of applications (in Excel® file) in all technical fields to the applicants. |
| |
|
b) |
Items on the list include application numbers, publication numbers, IPC classes, names of representatives, names of inventors, etc. |
| |
|
c) |
If the applicant finds some applications which are suitable to be examined as a group, fill in the following information on the list. |
| |
|
|
i) |
A tag for each group of applications (e.g. "A-1","A-2"...). |
| |
|
|
ii) |
Select the core application (optional): an application on which an applicant company places special importance---i.e. an application that an applicant defines as a core competence. |
| |
|
|
iii) |
Request for comprehensive explanation or interview for applications (optional) |
| |
|
|
iv) |
Other remarks: this column can be used for the timing / season of explanation or interview (optional). |
| |
|
|
v) |
Priority (optional): if an applicant has one or more group(s) which he / she wishes to have them examined prior to the other(s), use this column. |
| |
|
|
vi) |
Withdrawal (optional): if an applicant finds some applications which are to be withdrawn, fill in this column. |
| |
|
|
vii) |
Name of the contact person of the applicant
|
| |
(3) Returning the list of relevant applications by the applicant to the JPO. |
| |
|
a) |
After filling in the list, the list should be sent back to the JPO (Examination Policy Planning Section) as the Excel® file by E-mail or other electronic format, such as FD.
The time limit for returning the list is December 22nd, 2005.
|
| |
|
b) |
If the applicant wishes to apply the consolidated examination not for all the applications on the list but for certain groups of applications only, he/she can specify the applications as long as they belong to the same technical field.
|
| |
(4) Implementing the consolidated examination and comprehensive explanation / interview of applications. |
| |
|
a) |
Based on the returned list of relevant applications, the JPO will assign examiners and will have each group of relevant applications examined taking into consideration the applicant's intentions as much as possible. |
| |
|
b) |
If an applicant requests an opportunity of a comprehensive explanation / interview, examiners will accept it, in principal. |
| |
| 3. Others |
| |
Any person residing abroad is required to carry out examination procedures with the JPO through a patent administrator. |
