<div dir="ltr"><div>Could you check for me -- I'll bet that sentence wasn't in the MPEP six years ago. Last time I looked (three or four years ago) there was no mention of third-party art. I'll be this was added recently. Notice that there's no cite on it.</div><div><br></div><div>Prior art would be usable to show that two alternatives (in the two claims) are substitutable for each other (in the manner of a <i>Donohue</i> two-reference anticipation), or for claim construction. I can't think of any circumstance in which an external reference could be <i>combinable </i>in a double patenting rejection.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The important parts of are these</div><div><br></div><div>
<ul style="list-style-type:none"><li> (A) Determine the scope and content of a
patent <b>claim</b> relative to a <b>claim</b> in the application at issue;
</li><li> (B) Determine the differences between the
scope and content of the patent <b>claim</b> as determined in (A) and
the <b>claim</b> in the application at issue; </li><li> (C) Determine the level of ordinary skill in
the pertinent art; and </li><li> (D) Evaluate any objective indicia of
nonobviousness.</li><li>[no mention of third-party prior art here]<br></li></ul>
<p>
</p><p> Any nonstatutory double patenting rejection made under the
obviousness analysis should make clear: </p>
<ul style="list-style-type:none"><li> (A) The differences between the inventions
defined by the conflicting <b>claims</b> \u2014 a <b>claim</b> in the patent
compared to a <b>claim</b> in the application; and </li><li> (B) The reasons why a person of ordinary
skill in the art would conclude that the invention defined in
the<b> claim</b> at issue would have been an obvious variation of the
invention defined in a <b>claim</b> in the patent. </li><li>
[no mention of third-party prior art here either]
</li></ul>Another goodie sentence in MPEP 804(II))(B)(1):</div><div><br></div><div style="margin-left:40px">When considering whether the invention defined in a claim of an application would have been anticipated by or is an obvious variation of the invention defined in the claim of a patent or copending application, no part of the reference patent or application may be used as if it were prior art. <i>General Foods Corp. v. Studiengesellschaft Kohle mbH</i>, 972 F.2d 1272, 1281, 23 USPQ2d 1839, 1846 (Fed. Cir. 1992) (\u201cOur precedent makes clear that the disclosure of a patent cited in support of a double patenting rejection cannot be used as though it were prior art, even where the disclosure is found in the claims\u201d).</div><div><br></div><div>If the disclosure of the reference patent can't be relied on, certainly no third-party reference can come in.</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Jun 24, 2025 at 11:25\u202fAM Richard Straussman <<a href="mailto:rstraussman@weitzmanip.com">rstraussman@weitzmanip.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><u></u>
<div>
David,<br>
<br>
I think the issue is from the below section (I have bolded) of MPEP
804 whihc seems to allow for a secondary reference to be used (it
seems like for purposes of interpreting a term in one or the other
of the two items being considered (i.e., what a PHOSITA would
understand the term to mean/encompass):<br>
<blockquote>3. Obviousness Analysis
<div> </div>
<p> A nonstatutory double patenting rejection, if not based on an
anticipation rationale or an "unjustified timewise extension"
rationale, is "analogous to [a failure to meet] the
nonobviousness requirement of <a href="https://www.bitlaw.com/source/35usc/103.html" target="_blank">35 U.S.C.
103</a> " except that the patent disclosure principally
underlying the double patenting rejection is not considered
prior art. In re Braithwaite, 379 F.2d 594, 154 USPQ 29 (CCPA
1967). Even though the specification of the applied patent or
copending application is not prior art, it may still be used to
interpret the applied claims. See paragraph II.B.1, above. The
analysis employed with regard to nonstatutory double patenting
is "similar to, but not necessarily the same as that undertaken
under 35 USC § 103." In re Braat, 937 F.2d 589, 592-93, 19
USPQ2d 1289, 1292 (Fed. Cir. 1991) (citing In re Longi, 759 F.2d
887, 892 n.4, 225 USPQ 645, 648 n.4 (Fed. Cir. 1985)); see also
Geneva Pharmaceuticals, 349 F.3d at 1378 n.1, 68 USPQ2d at 1869
n.1 (Fed. Cir. 2003); In re Basell Poliolefine, 547 F.3d 1371,
1379, 89 USPQ2d 1030, 1036 (Fed. Cir. 2008). </p>
<p> In view of the similarities, the factual inquiries set forth
in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966)
that are applied for establishing a background for determining
obviousness under <a href="https://www.bitlaw.com/source/35usc/103.html" target="_blank">35 U.S.C.
103</a> should be considered when making a nonstatutory double
patenting analysis based on "obviousness." See <a href="https://www.bitlaw.com/source/mpep/2141.html" target="_blank">MPEP §
2141</a> for guidelines for determining obviousness. These
factual inquiries are summarized as follows: </p>
<ul style="list-style-type:none">
<li> (A) Determine the scope and content of a
patent claim relative to a claim in the application at issue;
</li>
<li> (B) Determine the differences between the
scope and content of the patent claim as determined in (A) and
the claim in the application at issue; </li>
<li> (C) Determine the level of ordinary skill in
the pertinent art; and </li>
<li> (D) Evaluate any objective indicia of
nonobviousness. </li>
</ul>
<p> Any nonstatutory double patenting rejection made under the
obviousness analysis should make clear: </p>
<ul style="list-style-type:none">
<li> (A) The differences between the inventions
defined by the conflicting claims \u2014 a claim in the patent
compared to a claim in the application; and </li>
<li> (B) The reasons why a person of ordinary
skill in the art would conclude that the invention defined in
the claim at issue would have been an obvious variation of the
invention defined in a claim in the patent. </li>
</ul>
<p> <b>Any secondary reference used to support an obviousness
analysis for a nonstatutory double patenting rejection must be
prior art under <a href="https://www.bitlaw.com/source/35usc/102.html" target="_blank">35
U.S.C. 102</a> or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102</b>. See <a href="https://www.bitlaw.com/source/mpep/2120.html" target="_blank">MPEP §
2120</a> et seq. for more information on determining if a
reference is prior art and <a href="https://www.bitlaw.com/source/mpep/2141.html" target="_blank">MPEP §
2141</a>, subsection II.A, for determining the scope and
content of the prior art. </p>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<div>
<span><strong>Richard Straussman</strong></span><span><span><strong><br>
</strong></span> </span><strong><span>Senior
Counsel</span><span><strong><br>
</strong></span> <span>Registered Patent Attorney</span><span><br>
</span></strong> <span>Member NY, NJ & CT Bars</span><span><br>
</span> <span><strong>. . . . . . . . . . . . . .</strong></span>
<span></span> <span><br>
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</div>
<div>On 6/24/2025 10:41 AM, David Boundy
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">MPEP
§ 804(II)(B)(6)</blockquote>
<br>
</div>
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