4.5.5 New requests filed – exceptional circumstances established
In T 1055/17 the final main request was filed after the summons to oral proceedings had been issued. Claim 1 of this request was similar to claim 1 of the previous first auxiliary request upheld by the opposition division, but more closely adhered to the wording of the granted claims. All method claims had been deleted. The board agreed with the patent proprietor that this request overcame all pending objections. The board held that admitting this request thus served procedural economy. It avoided the need for oral proceedings, considering that the opponent had expressed its intention not to make any further observations in this case. The board concluded that these were exceptional circumstances within the meaning of Art. 13(2) RPBA 2020 and admitted the request into the appeal proceedings.
- T 916/21
Catchword:
Im vorliegenden Fall konnte von der Beschwerdeführerin nicht erwartet werden, auf einen einzelnen Aspekt einer in ihrer Gesamtheit nicht überzeugenden Argumentationslinie in der angefochtenen Entscheidung der Prüfungsabteilung mit auf diesen Aspekt gerichteten Änderungen, die alle Einwände der Beschwerdekammer ausräumen, bereits bei Einlegen der Beschwerde zu reagieren.