[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 43, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 43CFR6.9]

[Page 173]
 
                    TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS: INTERIOR
 
PART 6--PATENT REGULATIONS--Table of Contents
 
                   Subpart A--Inventions by Employees
 
Sec. 6.9  Publication and public use of invention before patent application is filed.

    (a) Publication or public use of an invention constitutes a 
statutory bar to the granting of a patent for the invention unless a 
patent application is filed within one year of the date of such 
publication or public use. In order to preserve rights in unpatented 
inventions, it shall be the duty of the inventor, or of his supervisor 
if the inventor is not available to make such report, to report 
forthwith to the Solicitor any publication or use (other than 
experimental) of an invention, irrespective of whether an invention 
report has previously been filed. If an invention report has not been 
filed, such a report, including information concerning the public use or 
publication, shall be filed at once. If an invention is disclosed to any 
person who is not employed by the Department or working in cooperation 
with the Department upon that invention, a record shall be kept of the 
date and extent of the disclosure, the name and address of the person to 
whom the disclosure was made, and the purpose of the disclosure.
    (b) No description, specification, plan, or drawing of any 
unpatented invention upon which a patent application is likely to be 
filed shall be published, nor shall any written description, 
specification, plan, or drawing of such invention be furnished to anyone 
other than an employee of the Department or a person working in 
cooperation with the Department upon that invention, unless the 
Solicitor is of the opinion that the interests of the Government will 
not be prejudiced by such action. If any publication disclosing the 
invention, not previously approved by the Solicitor, comes to the 
attention of the inventor or his supervisor, it shall be the duty of 
such person to report such publication to the Solicitor.