宣誓供述書の書き方について（２）：米国（Part 2）
［例２］ この例においては、［例１］のように宣誓供述書の供述内容を別紙のExhibit（甲号証又は乙号証）とはしていません。また、発明者以外によって署名された例です。
内容としては、医療装置（変形爪の矯正装置）に関する二次的考慮事項（商業的成功など）に関して提出したものです。（米国出願の中間処理において弊所が実際に提出したものに基づいていますが、固有名詞・用語・数値などは適宜変更してあります。）
（商業的成功に関する宣誓供述書の書式の１例）
IN THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Applicant : Taro YAMADA
Serial No. : XX/XXX,XXX
Filed : XXXX, 20XX
For : APPARATUS FOR CORRECTING AN INGROWN NAIL
Art Unit : 3772
Examiner : Dan HICKS
DECLARATION UNDER 37 C.F.R. 1.132
I, Goro Kimura, a Japanese citizen residing at XXXX, Tokyo, Japan, declare and say:
I was graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, XXX University in March 2005.
In April 2005, I entered XYZ Clinic where I have been practicing the treatment of hallux valgus and ingrown nails.
I am well familiar with the present case.
I read and understood the Office Action dated XXXX, 2011 and references cited therein.
I have carried out treatments of ingrown nails with the apparatus disclosed in claim 1 of the present application at XYZ Clinic following the instructions given by Mr. Taro Yamada who is the director of the clinic and is the inventor of the present application. Some of the results of the treatments are as reported in the website of XYZ Clinic at http://www.adcdefg-hijk.com.
In the website, three cases of treatments are reported. The treatments were performed using an apparatus as shown in Fig. A attached hereto. As can be seen from Fig. A, the apparatus falls within the scope of claim 1 of the present application.
As to the three cases (cases 1 to 3), the nails before and after the treatments are shown in Figs. B, C and D attached hereto, which are also shown at the above-mentioned website of XYZ Clinic. In each of the tree treatments, the apparatus as shown in Fig. A was used as mentioned above. Further, the reagents and operations in cases 1 to 3 were substantially the same as recited in Example 1 of the present application (paragraphs [00XX] to [00XX] of the specification of the present application) except that the inclination angle A of the lifting members, the lifting intervals and the nail correcting force were slightly varied depending on the characteristics of the ingrown nails of the patients. As reported in the website of XYZ Clinic, the details of cases 1 to 3 are as follows.
Case 1:
Patient's gender and age:
A female in her 30's.
Patient's background:
The patient wished to avoid a painful treatment because she had heard her acquaintance's report about having received a very painful operation for correcting an ingrown nail at another hospital which seemed to have been carried out without anesthesia. The patient came to XYZ Clinic because she was attracted by the painless treatment of this clinic.
Results:
The ingrown nail was corrected as shown in Fig. B by a single treatment which took about only 30 minutes. The patient was satisfied with the results of the treatment because the ingrown nail had been corrected without feeling any pain during and after the treatment.
Case 2:
Patient's gender and age:
A female in her 40's.
Patient's background:
The patient had a previous experience of nail-correction using a wire device which is to be hooked to the edges of the ingrown sides of the nail and is designed to lift the ingrown sides by pulling the hooked portions of the wire toward the center of the nail.
However, she needed to go to the hospital so frequently that it became troublesome to her. As a result, the patient stopped going to the hospital before the completion of the nail correction.
The patient also had a previous experience of nail-correction using a correction plate which is to be adhered on the surface of an ingrown nail and lifts the ingrown sides of the nail by the spring force of the plate, but the plate came off from the nail soon.
Results:
The ingrown nail was corrected as shown in Fig. C by performing twice an approx. 30-minute treatment, and the patient was pleased with the result.
Case 3:
Patient's gender and age:
A female in her 50's.
Patient's background:
Previously, the patient had her ingrown nail corrected by treatment using a wire device similar to that used by the patient of case 2, which treatment lasted about 18 months. However, the ingrown nail recurred after the termination of the treatment.
Results:
The ingrown nail was corrected as shown in Fig. D by a single approx. 30-minute treatment. During and after the treatment, the patient did not feel any pain nor uncomfortable feeling.
Finally, it should be added that almost all of the 900 patients having received this treatment so far were very satisfied with the results.
From the above, it is apparent that the apparatus of the present invention surely enables the correction of an ingrown nail within a very short period of time, 1.e., within about 30 minutes to about 1 hour, with a very simple operation and without causing any pain nor uncomfortable feeling to the patent.
Thus, the apparatus of the present invention has realized a surprisingly easy and effective treatment which is far more advantageous than the conventional surgical removal method which is complicated, cumbersome and is accompanied by pain during or after the surgery and risk of microbial infection, and the conventional treatments using various correction devices or apparatuses which are in many cases not so effective and require very long treatment periods.
The undersigned petitioner declares that all statements made herein of his own knowledge are true and that all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true; and further that these statements were made with the knowledge that willful false statements and the like so made are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under Section 1001 of Title 18 of the United States Code and that such willful false statements may jeopardize the validity of the application or any patent issuing thereon.
Date:
(宣誓者の署名)
Goro Kimura
