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35 U.S.C. 134 Appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.

(a) PATENT APPLICANT.- An applicant for a patent, any of whose claims has been twice rejected, may appeal from the decision of the primary examiner to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, having once paid the fee for such appeal.

(b) PATENT OWNER.- A patent owner in any a reexamination proceeding may appeal from the final rejection of any claim by the primary examiner to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, having once paid the fee for such appeal.

(c) THIRD-PARTY.- A third-party requester in an inter partes proceeding may appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences from the final decision of the primary examiner favorable to the patentability of any original or proposed amended or new claim of a patent, having once paid the fee for such appeal.

(Amended Nov. 8, 1984, Public Law 98-622, sec. 204(b)(1), 98 Stat. 3388; Nov. 29, 1999, Public Law 106-113, sec. 1000(a)(9), 113 Stat. 1501A-570 (S. 1948 sec. 4605(b)); subsections (a)-(c) amended Nov. 2, 2002, Public Law 107-273, secs. 13106 and 13202, 116 Stat. 1901.)

Effective Dates for Changes Made to this Section

IMPLEMENTATION OF FIRST TO FILE
Section 3 of the America Invents Act

EFFECTIVE DATE.--

(1) IN GENERAL.--Except as otherwise provided in this section, the amendments made by this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the 18–month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall apply to any application for patent, and to any patent issuing thereon, that contains or contained at any time--

(A) a claim to a claimed invention that has an effective filing date as defined in Section 100(i) of title 35, United States Code, that is on or after the effective date described in this paragraph; or

(B) a specific reference under section 120, 121, or 365(c) of title 35, United States Code, to any patent or application that contains or contained at any time such a claim.

(2) INTERFERING PATENTS.--The provisions of sections 102(g), 135, and 291 of title 35, United States Code, as in effect on the day before the effective date set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection, shall apply to each claim of an application for patent, and any patent issued thereon, for which the amendments made by this section also apply, if such application or patent contains or contained at any time--

(A) a claim to an invention having an effective filing date as defined in Section 100(i) of title 35, United States Code, that occurs before the effective date set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection; or

(B) a specific reference under section 120, 121, or 365(c) of title 35, United States Code, to any patent or application that contains or contained at any time such a claim.

REMOVE PART (c) AND CHANGE TO "a reexamination"
Section 7 of the America Invents Act

(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect upon the expiration of the 1–year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply to proceedings commenced on or after that effective date, except that--

(1) the extension of jurisdiction to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to entertain appeals of decisions of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in reexaminations under the amendment made by subsection (c)(2) shall be deemed to take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall extend to any decision of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences with respect to a reexamination that is entered before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act;

(2) the provisions of sections 6, 134, and 141 of title 35, United States Code, as in effect on the day before the effective date of the amendments made by this section shall continue to apply to inter partes reexaminations that are requested under section 311 of such title before such effective date;

(3) the Patent Trial and Appeal Board may be deemed to be the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences for purposes of appeals of inter partes reexaminations that are requested under Section 311 of title 35, United States Code, before the effective date of the amendments made by this section; and

(4) the Director's right under the fourth sentence of Section 143 of title 35, United States Code, as amended by subsection (c)(3) of this section, to intervene in an appeal from a decision entered by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board shall be deemed to extend to inter partes reexaminations that are requested under section 311 of such title before the effective date of the amendments made by this section.