眾律國際法律事務所/眾律國際專利商標事務所

簡介專利申請案檢索報告 / 專利工程師 林孟萱

Brief Introduction for its search report which is published together with the application / Patent Engineer Meng-Xuan Lin

一.檢索報告之目的

The purpose for search report

專利申請案檢索報告是用來記錄實體審查的過程中，審查人員認為與申請案請求項相關之文獻段落，關聯之程度與種類會使用關聯性代表加以標註。檢索報告無須申請，通常該報告會與「審查意見通知函」或「核准審定書」一同寄給專利申請人。

The search report which is published together with the application is to record the process of substantial examination. The examiner will consider whether its patent applicant is relevant by looking at relevant claims. The degree of relevance and its patent types would be marked with its associated representatives. Under general circumstances, such report and “observation of the examination” or “Approved Examination Report” would be sent to the patent applicant at once.

二.何時不會有檢索報告

When there is no search report?

當申請案之全部請求項或部分請求項有下列情事者，會先以「審查意見通知函」通知申請人，待申請人於期限內提出可排除下列情事之申復說明或修正說明書後，才會於後續審查程序檢附檢索報告，否則將直接進行審定。

When it comes to patent application requesting to review all or partial items as follows, the Patent Authority may, in the course of examining an invention patent application, notify its patent applicant with a “observation of the examination” to make a supplement or amendment to the specification and/or drawings within a specified time limit, otherwise such application would go directly to its examination process without any follow up search report.

發明為非利用自然法則之技術思想之創作者。（專利法第21條）The term “invention” is used herein refers to any creation of technical concepts by utilizing the rules of nature (Patent Act Article 21).

為專利法規定不予發明專利者。（專利法第24條各款）Items shall not be granted an invention patent according to its Patent Act. (Patent Act Article 21 listed items).

專利說明書發明說明未明確且充分揭露發明技術特徵內容，導致無法瞭解發明內容者。(專利法第26條第1項) If the description of invention did not contain a sufficiently clear information and have not disclosed its contents completely, in result not to understand its contents fully (Patent Act Article 26, Paragraph 1).

為非可供產業上利用之發明者。(專利法第22條) An invention which is not industrially applicable (Patent Act Article 22).

與另一發明或新型專利申請案為相同之發明。(專利法第31條) if such patent application is identical for another Invention patents or Utility model patents (Patent Act Article 31).

不符發明單一性規定者。(專利法第33條) Not consistent with its exclusiveness requirement (Patent Act Article 33).

實質上非為兩個以上之發明而為分割申請，該分割案以不符分割之實體要件處分不准分割時。(專利法第33條) In the case of a patent application which substantially involves two or more inventions, such division does not satisfy the division requirement and decided not to divide its patent application into two or more separate divisional applications (Patent Act Article 33).

申請專利所為說明書、申請專利範圍或圖式之修正內容，超出申請時原說明書或圖式所揭露之範圍者。（專利法第43條第2項）For its patent application especially when interpreting the scope of claims, the description and drawings, when such application exceed the scope of contents as disclosed in the original specification and drawings submitted along with the patent application (Patent Act Article 43, Paragraph 2).

此外，檢索報告是實體審查制度下的產物，故未經實體審查之新型專利，不會有專利申請案檢索報告。

In addition, such search report is the product of substantive examination; therefore if its utility model did not go through its official substantive examination, there won’t be any search report on its patent applications.

三. 關聯性代碼之意義

Relevant Codes and its meaning

關聯性代碼通常會在專利申請案檢索報告最下方作說明，代碼意義如下：

Relevant codes would usually

代碼X：單獨引用即足以否定發明新穎性或進步性之特別相關文獻。

“X” indicates that a single document is particularly relevant for reasons of novelty.

代碼Y：結合一篇或多篇其他文獻下，足以否定發明進步性之特別相關文獻。

“Y” indicates document particularly relevant if combined with another “Y” document.

代碼A：顯示一般技術水平而不能否定發明新穎性或進步性之文獻。

“A” used for a document representing “state of the art not prejudicial to the novelty or inventive step of the claimed invention

代碼D：申請案之說明書中已記載之文獻。

“D” represents document cited in the application.

代碼E：申請在先、公開/公告在後之本國專利文獻。

“E” represents when there is potentially conflicting patent documents, for which documents bearing a filing or propriety date earlier than the filing date of the application searched but published later than that date and the content of which would constitute prior art relevant to novelty.

代碼O：關於口頭揭露、公開使用、販賣或展覽陳列之文獻。

“O” represents non-written disclosure such or oral revealed、public use、sell or exhibit display of literature.

代碼P：介於申請日與優先權日間公開之文獻。

“P” represents documents published on dates falling between the date of filing of the application being examined and the date of priority claimed, or the earliest priority if there is more than one.

代碼L：其他理由所引用之文獻。如違反專利法第31條規定先申請原則及一案兩請之專利文獻及其他文獻。

“L” represents documents cited for other reasons. For example if you breached its Patent Law Article 31 when two or more applications are filed for the same invention only the application filed first may be granted an invention patent.

四. 結語

4. Conclusion

由專利申請案檢索報告可看出審查人員對該專利申請案是否具可專利性之意見。於申復答辯時，須根據檢索報告所列出之不具新穎性、進步性或其他不具專利性之相關項目文獻進行分析、提出資料佐證或修改申請專利範圍，來使得專利申請案符合「新穎性」、「進步性」、「擬制喪失新穎性」與「先申請原則」。

According to the search report which is published together with the application, we can know whether patent examiners have any opinions toward its patent application. This is especially important when filing a statement of defense; you need to provide all the evidences or to make a supplement or amendment to the specification and/or drawings within a specified time limit to counter examiner’s queries in terms of their concerns that lacks novelty, progressive or any other claiming that its examiner think should be excluded from its specification in order to fulfill its patent application requirement of novelty、progressive、loss of novelty function or first application principle.

參考資料：

專利法逐條釋義

專利審查基準

經濟部智慧財產局 專利Q&A

https://www.tipo.gov.tw/lp.asp?CtNode=7633&CtUnit=3732&BaseDSD=7&mp=1

References:

Step by Step interpretation of Patent Law

Patent Examination Guidelines

Intellectual Property Office Patent Q&A

https://www.tipo.gov.tw/lp.asp?CtNode=7633&CtUnit=3732&BaseDSD=7&mp=1