European Patent Office

T 0075/09 of 13.09.2011

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2011:T007509.20110913
Date of decision
13 September 2011
Case number
T 0075/09
Petition for review of
-
Application number
03771970.5
Language of proceedings
English
Distribution
Distributed to board chairmen and members (B)
OJ versions
No OJ links found
Other decisions for this case
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Abstracts for this decision
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Application title
Ovenware for microwave oven
Applicant name
E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
Opponent name
-
Board
3.3.03
Headnote
-
Keywords
Insufficiency of disclosure - Main and First Auxiliary Requests (yes)
Amendments - added subject-matter (Second Auxiliary Request (yes))
Examination procedure - requirements of the European patent application to be dealt with prior to the question of patentability
Catchword
Where - as in the present case - there are multiple requests and a feature common to all requests is held not to meet the requirements of Article 84 EPC, as a consequence of which higher ranking requests are refused, all lower ranking requests retaining this feature have to be refused for the same reason.
The fact that in a lower ranking request the offending feature no longer has to be relied upon to establish a distinction over the prior art does not overcome the defect pursuant to Article 84 EPC. Nor does it give the deciding body the discretion to disregard the deficiency.
In particular it has to be borne in mind that the significance of a feature may become apparent only at a later stage in the life of a patent, eg in opposition or revocation proceedings (cf. Nos. 2.7 to 2.9 of the reasons).
Citing cases
T 0054/17

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

The appeal is dismissed.