public use proceeding
public-use proceeding. Patents. An investigation into whether a patent is barred because the invention was publicly used or sold more than a year before the application was filed. • Rarely used, this procedure is instituted upon a petition by someone protesting the application. If the petition and supporting documents make out a prima facie case, the examiner will hold a hearing and issue a final decision, which is not reviewable. 37 CFR § 1.292. — Abbr. PUP. Cf. PROTEST(6). [Cases: Patents 75. C.J.S. Patents §§ 107–109.]
