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Guidelines for Examination

 
 
Table of Contents - Guidelines for Examination
Part F The European Patent Application

Part F

The European Patent Application

 

Contents
Chapter I – Introduction
Chapter II – Content of a European patent application (other than claims)
1.
General
2.
Abstract
2.1
Purpose of the abstract
2.2
Definitive content
2.3
Content of the abstract
2.4
Figure accompanying the abstract
2.5
Checklist
2.6
Transmittal of the abstract to the applicant
2.7
Abstract in examination
3.
Request for grant – the title
4.
Description (formal requirements)
4.1
General remarks
4.2
Technical field
4.3
Background art
4.3.1
Format of background art citations
4.3.1.1
Examples of quotation for non-patent literature
4.3.1.2
Examples of quotation for patent literature
4.4
Irrelevant matter
4.5
Technical problem and its solution
4.6
Rule 42(1)(c) vs. Art. 52(1)
4.7
Reference in the description to drawings
4.8
Reference signs
4.9
Industrial application
4.10
Manner and order of presentation
4.11
Terminology
4.12
Computer programs
4.13
Physical values, units
4.14
Registered trademarks
5.
Drawings
5.1
Form and content
5.2
Printing quality
5.3
Photographs
6.
Sequence listings
6.1
Reference to sequences disclosed in a database
7.
Prohibited matter
7.1
Categories
7.2
Matter contrary to "ordre public" or morality
7.3
Disparaging statements
7.4
Irrelevant matter
7.5
Omission of matter from publication
Annex 1
Checklist for considering the abstract (see F-II, 2.5)
Annex 2
Units recognised in international practice and complying with Rule 49(11) (see F-II, 4.13)
Chapter III – Sufficiency of disclosure
1.
Sufficiency of disclosure
2.
Art. 83 vs. Art. 123(2)
3.
Insufficient disclosure
4.
Burden of proof as regards the possibility of performing and repeating the invention
5.
Cases of partially insufficient disclosure
5.1
Only variants of the invention are incapable of being performed
5.2
Absence of well-known details
5.3
Difficulties in performing the invention
6.
Inventions relating to biological material
6.1
Biological material
6.2
Public availability of biological material
6.3
Deposit of biological material
6.4
Priority claim
6.5
Euro-PCT cases
7.
Proper names, trademarks and trade names
8.
Reference documents
9.
"Reach-through" claims
10.
Sufficiency of disclosure and Rule 56
11.
Sufficiency of disclosure and clarity
Chapter IV – Claims (Art. 84 and formal requirements)
1.
General
2.
Form and content of claims
2.1
Technical features
2.2
Two-part form
2.3
Two-part form unsuitable
2.3.1
No two-part form
2.3.2
Two-part form "wherever appropriate"
2.4
Formulae and tables
3.
Kinds of claim
3.1
Categories
3.2
Number of independent claims
3.3
Objection under Rule 43(2) or Rule 137(5)
3.4
Independent and dependent claims
3.5
Arrangement of claims
3.6
Subject-matter of a dependent claim
3.7
Alternatives in a claim
3.8
Independent claims containing a reference to another claim or to features from a claim of another category
4.
Clarity and interpretation of claims
4.1
Clarity
4.2
Interpretation
4.3
Inconsistencies
4.4
General statements, "spirit" of invention
4.5
Essential features
4.5.1
Objections arising from missing essential features
4.5.2
Definition of essential features
4.5.3
Generalisation of essential features
4.5.4
Implicit features
4.5.5
Examples
4.6
Relative terms
4.7
Terms like "about" and "approximately"
4.8
Trademarks
4.9
Optional features
4.10
Result to be achieved
4.11
Parameters
4.12
Product-by-process claim
4.13
"Apparatus for ...", "Method for ...", etc.
4.14
Definition by reference to use or another entity
4.15
The expression "in"
4.16
Use claims
4.17
References to the description or drawings
4.18
Method of and means for measuring parameters referred to in claims
4.19
Reference signs
4.20
Negative limitations (e.g. disclaimers)
4.21
"Comprising" vs. "consisting"
4.22
Functional definition of a pathological condition
4.23
Broad claims
4.24
Order of claims
5.
Conciseness, number of claims
6.
Support in description
6.1
General remarks
6.2
Extent of generalisation
6.3
Objection of lack of support
6.4
Lack of support vs. insufficient disclosure
6.5
Definition in terms of function
6.6
Support for dependent claims
Annex
Examples concerning essential features
Chapter V – Unity of invention
1.
General remarks
2.
Special technical features
3.
Intermediate and final products
4.
Alternatives
5.
Markush grouping
6.
Individual features in a claim
7.
Lack of unity "a priori" or "a posteriori"
8.
Examiner's approach
8.1
Reasoning for a lack of unity objection
8.2
Determination of the invention first mentioned in the claims
9.
Dependent claims
10.
Lack of unity during search
11.
Lack of unity during substantive examination
11.1
General principles
11.2
Objections to unsearched inventions
11.3
Review of non-unity findings
12.
Amended claims
13.
Euro-PCT applications
13.1
International applications without supplementary search
13.2
International applications with supplementary search
13.3
International preliminary examination report (IPER)
13.4
Restricted IPER
14.
Relationship between Rule 43(2) and Art. 82
Chapter VI – Priority
1.
The right to priority
1.1
Filing date as effective date
1.2
Priority date as effective date
1.3
Validly claiming priority
1.4
First application
1.4.1
Subsequent application considered as first application
1.5
Multiple priorities
2.
Determining priority dates
2.1
Examining the validity of a right to priority
2.2
The same invention
2.3
Priority claim not valid
2.4
Some examples of determining priority dates
2.4.1
Intermediate publication of the contents of the priority application
2.4.2
Intermediate publication of another European application
2.4.3
Multiple priorities claimed for different inventions in the application with an intermediate publication of one of the inventions
2.4.4
A situation in which it has to be checked whether the application from which priority is actually claimed is the "first application" in the sense of Art. 87(1)
3.
Claiming priority
3.1
General remarks
3.2
Declaration of priority
3.3
Certified copy of the previous application (priority document)
3.4
Translation of the previous application
3.5
Abandonment of priority claim
3.6
Re-establishment of rights in respect of the priority period