2307 Action During an Interference [R-08.2017]
37 CFR 41.103 Jurisdiction over involved files.
The Board acquires jurisdiction over any involved file when the Board initiates a contested case. Other proceedings for the involved file within the Office are suspended except as the Board may order.
Once a patent or application becomes involved in an interference, the Board has jurisdiction over the file. The examiner may not act on an involved patent or application except as the Board may authorize.
The Board may occasionally consult with the examiner, for instance, on a question regarding the technology at issue in an involved application or patent.
The Board retains jurisdiction over the interference until the interference is terminated. The Director has defined termination to occur after a final Board judgment in the interference and the period for seeking judicial review has expired or, if judicial review is sought, after completion of judicial review including any further action by the Board. See 37 CFR 41.205(a).