Title 37

SECTION 42.100

42.100 Procedure; pendency.

§ 42.100 Procedure; pendency.

(a) An inter partes review is a trial subject to the procedures set forth in subpart A of this part.

(b) In an inter partes review proceeding, a claim of a patent, or a claim proposed in a motion to amend under § 42.121, shall be construed using the same claim construction standard that would be used to construe the claim in a civil action under 35 U.S.C. 282(b), including construing the claim in accordance with the ordinary and customary meaning of such claim as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art and the prosecution history pertaining to the patent. Any prior claim construction determination concerning a term of the claim in a civil action, or a proceeding before the International Trade Commission, that is timely made of record in the inter partes review proceeding will be considered.

(c) An inter partes review proceeding shall be administered such that pendency before the Board after institution is normally no more than one year. The time can be extended by up to six months for good cause by the Chief Administrative Patent Judge, or adjusted by the Board in the case of joinder.

[77 FR 48727, Aug. 14, 2012, as amended at 81 FR 18766, Apr. 1, 2016; 83 FR 51358, Oct. 11, 2018]