Article 45 Apart from the application for patent, any document relating to the patent application which is submitted to the Patent Administration Department under the State Council, shall, in any of the following circumstances, be deemed not to have been submitted:
(1) where the document is not presented in the prescribed form or the indications therein are not in conformity with the prescriptions;
(2) where no certifying document is submitted as prescribed.
The Patent Administration Department under the State Council shall notify the applicant of its opinion after checking that the document is deemed not to have been submitted.

Article 46 Where the applicant requests an earlier publication of its or his application for a patent for invention, a statement shall be made to the Patent Administration Department under the State Council. The Patent Administration Department under the State Council shall, after preliminary examination of the application, publish it immediately, unless it is to be rejected.

Article 47 The applicant shall, when indicating in accordance with Article 27 of the Patent Law the product incorporating the design and the class to which that product belongs, refer to the classification of products for designs published by the Patent Administration Department under the State Council. Where no indication, or an incorrect indication, of the class to which the product incorporating the design belongs is made, the Patent Administration Department under the State Council shall supply the indication or correct it.

Article 48 Any person may, from the date of publication of an application for a patent for invention till the date of announcing the grant of the patent right, submit to the Patent Administration Department under the State Council his observations, with  reasons therefor, on the application which is not in conformity with the provisions of the Patent Law.

Article 49 Where the applicant for a patent for invention cannot furnish, for justified reasons, the documents concerning any search or results of any examination specified in Article 36 of the Patent Law, it or he shall make a statement to the Patent Administration Department under the State Council and submit them when the said documents are available.

Article 50 The Patent Administration Department under the State Council shall, when proceeding on its own initiative to examine an application for a patent in accordance with the provisions of Article 35, paragraph two of the Patent Law, notify the applicant accordingly.

Article 5l When a request for examination as to substance is made, and that, within the time limit of three months after the receipt of the notification of the Patent Administration Department under the State Council, the application has entered into examination as to substance, the applicant for a patent for invention may amend the application for a patent for invention on its or his own initiative.
Within two months from the date of filing, the applicant for a patent for utility model or design may amend the application for a patent for utility model or design on its or his own initiative.
Where the applicant amends the application after receiving the notification of opinions of the examination as to substance of the Patent Administration Department under the State Council, he or it shall make the amendment as required by the notification.
The Patent Administration Department under the State Council may, on its own initiative, correct the obvious clerical mistakes and symbol mistakes in the documents of application for a patent. Where the Patent Administration Department under the State Council corrects mistakes on its own initiative, it shall notify the applicant.

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