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605.07 Joint Inventors - 600 Parts, Form, and Content of Application
605.07 Joint Inventors
35 U.S.C. 116 Inventors
When an invention is made by two or more persons jointly, they shall apply for patent jointly and each make the required oath, except as otherwise provided in this title. Inventors may apply for a patent jointly even though (1) they did not physically work together or at the same time, (2) each did not make the same type or amount of contribution, or (3) each did not make a contribution to the subject matter of every claim of the patent.
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35 U.S.C. 116, as amended by Public Law 98-622, recognizes the realities of modern team research. A research project may include many inventions. Some inventions may have contributions made by individuals who are not involved in other, related inventions.
35 U.S.C. 116 allows inventors to apply for a patent jointly even though
(A) they did not physically work together or at the same time,
(B) each did not make the same type or amount of contribution, or
(C) each did not make a contribution to the subject matter of every claim of the patent.
Items (A) and (B) adopt the rationale stated in decisions such as Monsanto Co. v. Kamp, 269 F. Supp. 818, 824, 154 USPQ 259, 262 (D.D.C. 1967).
Item (C) adopts the rationale of cases such as SAB Industrie AB v. Bendix Corp., 199 USPQ 95 (E.D. Va. 1978).
With regard to item (A), see Kimberly-Clark Corp. v. Procter & Gamble Distributing Co., 973 F.2d 911, 916-17, 23 USPQ 2d 1921, 1925-26 (Fed. Cir. 1992) (some quantum of collaboration or connection is required in order for persons to be "joint" inventors under 35 U.S.C. 116, and thus individuals who are completely ignorant of what each other has done until years after their individual independent efforts cannot be considered joint inventors).
Like other patent applications, jointly filed applications are subject to the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 121 that an application be directed to only a single invention. If more than one invention is included in the application, the examiner may require the application to be restricted to one of the inventions. In such a case, a "divisional" application complying with 35 U.S.C. 120 would be entitled to the benefit of the earlier filing date of the original application.
It is possible that different claims of an application or patent may have different dates of inventions even though the patent covers only one independent and distinct invention within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. 121. When necessary, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or a court may inquire of the patent applicant or owner concerning the inventors and the invention dates for the subject matter of the various claims.
GUIDELINES
37 CFR 1.45 Joint inventors.
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(b) Inventors may apply for a patent jointly even though
(1) They did not physically work together or at the same time,
(2) Each inventor did not make the same type or amount of contribution, or
(3) Each inventor did not make a contribution to the subject matter of every claim of the application.
(c) If multiple inventors are named in a nonprovisional application, each named inventor must have made a contribution, individually or jointly, to the subject matter of at least one claim of the application and the application will be considered to be a joint application under 35 U.S.C. 116. If multiple inventors are named in a provisional application, each named inventor must have made a contribution, individually or jointly, to the subject matter disclosed in the provisional application and the provisional application will be considered to be a joint application under 35 U.S.C. 116.
Since provisional applications may be filed without claims, 37 CFR 1.45(c) states that each inventor named in a joint provisional application must have made a contribution to the subject matter disclosed in the application.
The significant features resulting from the amendments to 35 U.S.C. 116 by Public Law 98-622 are the following:
(A) The joint inventors do not have to separately "sign the application," but only need apply for the patent jointly and make the required oath or declaration by signing the same; this is a clarification, but not a change in current practice.
(B) Inventors may apply for a patent jointly even though "they did not work together or at the same time," thereby clarifying (a) that it is not necessary that the inventors physically work together on a project, and (b) that one inventor may "take a step at one time, the other an approach at different times." (Monsanto Co. v. Kamp, 269 F. Supp. 818, 824, 154 USPQ 259, 262 (D.D.C. 1967)).
(C) Inventors may apply for a patent jointly even though "each did not make the same type or amount of contribution," thereby clarifying the "fact that each of the inventors play a different role and that the contribution of one may not be as great as that of another does not detract from the fact that the invention is joint, if each makes some original contribution, though partial, to the final solution of the problem." Monsanto Co. v. Kamp, 269 F. Supp. at 824, 154 USPQ at 262.
(D) Inventors may apply for a patent jointly even though "each did not make a contribution to the subject matter of every claim of the patent."
(E) Inventors may apply for a patent jointly as long as each inventor made a contribution, i.e., was an inventor or joint inventor, of the subject matter of at least one claim of the patent; there is no requirement that all the inventors be joint inventors of the subject matter of any one claim.
(F) If an application by joint inventors includes more than one independent and distinct invention, restriction may be required with the possible result of a necessity to change the inventorship named in the application if the elected invention was not the invention of all the originally named inventors.
(G) The amendment to 35 U.S.C. 116 increases the likelihood that different claims of an application or patent may have different dates of invention; when necessary the Office or court may inquire of the patent applicant or owner concerning the inventors and the invention dates for the subject matter of the various claims.
Pending nonprovisional applications will be permitted to be amended by complying with 37 CFR 1.48 to add claims to inventions by inventors not named when the application was filed as long as such inventions were disclosed in the application as filed since 37 CFR 1.48 permits correction of inventorship where the correct inventor or inventors are not named in an application for patent through error without any deceptive intention on the part of the person being added as an inventor. This is specially covered in 37 CFR 1.48(c).
Under 35 U.S.C. 116, an examiner may reject claims under 35 U.S.C. 102(f) only in circumstances where a named inventor is not the inventor of at least one claim in the application; no rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(f) is appropriate if a named inventor made a contribution to the invention defined in any claim of the application.
Under 35 U.S.C. 116, considered in conjunction with 35 U.S.C. 103(c), a rejection may be appropriate under 35 U.S.C. 102(f)/ 103 where the subject matter, i.e., prior art, and the claimed invention were not owned by, or subject to an obligation of assignment to, the same person at the time the invention was made.
Applicants are responsible for correcting, and are required to correct, the inventorship in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48 when the application is amended to change the claims so that one (or more) of the named inventors is no longer an inventor of the subject matter of a claim remaining in the application.
In requiring restriction in an application filed by joint inventors, the examiner should remind applicants of the necessity to correct the inventorship pursuant to 37 CFR 1.48 if an invention is elected and the claims to the invention of one or more inventors are canceled.
The examiner should not inquire of the patent applicant concerning the inventors and the invention dates for the subject matter of the various claims until it becomes necessary to do so in order to properly examine the application.
If an application is filed with joint inventors, the examiner should assume that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time the inventions covered therein were made, unless there is evidence to the contrary. If inventors of subject matter, not commonly owned at the time of the later invention, file a joint application, applicants have an obligation pursuant to 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim and the lack of common ownership at the time the later invention was made in order that the examiner may consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(e)/ 103, 35 U.S.C. 102(f)/ 103 or 35 U.S.C. 102(g)/ 103. The examiner should assume, unless there is evidence to the contrary, that applicants are complying with their duty of disclosure. It should be pointed out that 35 U.S.C. 119(a) benefit may be claimed to any foreign application as long as the U.S. named inventor was the inventor of the foreign application invention and 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) requirements are met. Where two or more foreign applications are combined in a single U.S. application, to take advantage of the changes to 35 U.S.C. 103 or 35 U.S.C. 116, the U.S. application may claim benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) to each of the foreign applications provided all the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) are met. One of the conditions for benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) is that the foreign application must be for "the same invention" as the application in the United States. Therefore, a claim in the U.S. application which relies on the combination of prior foreign applications may not be entitled to the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) if the subject matter of the claim is not sufficiently disclosed in the prior foreign application. Cf. Studiengesellschaft Kohle m.b.H. v. Shell Oil Co., 112 F.3d 1561, 42 USPQ2d 1674 (Fed. Cir. 1997). For example:
If foreign applicant A invents X and files a foreign application; foreign applicant B invents Y and files separate foreign application. A+B combine inventions X+Y and A and B are proper joint inventors under 35 U.S.C. 116 and file U.S. application to X+Y. The U.S. application may claim benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) to each of the foreign applications provided the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) are met.
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