Patent decision

BL number

O/340/02

Concerning rights in

GB0024500.1, GB0024501.9 and GB0024503.5.

Hearing Officer

Mr M C Wright

Decision date

15 August 2002

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Mr Adrian Neil Warren

Provisions discussed

Patents Rules 1995, Rule 110(4)

Keywords

Extensions of time

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The Hearing Officer accepted that the proprietor contacted the Patent Office by telephone shortly before the expiry of the twelve-month period for requesting preliminary examination and search. He also took the view that the applicant may have misunderstood what he was told and so genuinely believed he could obtain a longer automatic extension of time to file the Patents Form 9/77 and fee for each application. The Hearing Officer was therefore satisfied that the applicant always had a continuing underlying intention to file the forms and fees and that the request for an extension of time did not constitute a change of mind. He therefore gave the applicant the benefit of the doubt and allowed the extension request.

Full decision O/340/02 18Kb