法定類別的定義

法定類別的定義

學了這麼久的專利，你知道如何分辨“機器”、“製品”和“組成物”嗎？我一直搞不清楚，還好今天找到這一篇文章。

The five statutory classes are:

Process: doing something. 做些事情
examples: toasting bread, re-entering the earth's atmosphere;

Machine: something that can do something 用來做些事情的物品
examples: a pop up toaster, a space shuttle plus all the subordinate machines contained respectively therein (respectively therein are a couple of obnoxious, though very handy, patent words you'll practice in Lesson 3,);

Manufacture: something made by man 由人類製造的物品
examples: a pop up toaster, a space shuttle plus all the pieces and parts respectively thereof (ditto above);

Composition of Matter: substance made by man 由人類製造的物質
examples: bread dough, the ceramic material used to make the shuttle re-entry tiles;

New Use: doing something new with something that isn't new. 用舊物品做些新的事情。

看完之後，有比較清楚的感覺了嗎？我還是有點模糊，哈哈！不過比以前好多了。事實上，定義在美專第101條的法定類別只有前四個，而最後一個“New Use”是定義在美專第100條的（b）段上：

The term “process” means process, art, or method, and includes a new use of a known process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, or material.

如果你的專利標的不是這四種法定類別的話，那麼那些喜歡看“Star Wars”年紀只有十三、四歲但卻被困在三、四十歲身體的美國審查委員們，就會告訴你「We don't allow their kind in here.」。