Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit April 25, 1972, 71-1713 (George R. Cogar v. William E. Schuyler, Jr., Commissioner of Patents, and Sperry Rand Corporation)

CHRISTENSEN, District Judge:

In this appeal we are asked to determine whether an inventor can prevent the issuance of a patent to himself; more specifically whether a protesting inventor, fearing injury to reputation from publication of a patent thought to be anticipated by the prior art, is entitled to an oral hearing in the Patent Office to contest patentability on an application filed by a