EUROPEAN PATENT CONVENTION 1973 - Table of Contents IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS TO THE CONVENTION ON THE GRANT OF EUROPEAN PATENTS PART III - IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS TO PART III OF THE CONVENTION Chapter II - Provisions governing the application Rule 27 - Content of the description

Rule 27 Content of the description

Art. 54, 56, 57, 78, 83 R. 23e, 27a, 36

(1)38 The description shall:

(a) specify the technical field to which the invention relates;

(b)39 indicate the background art which, as far as known to the applicant, can be regarded as useful for understanding the invention, for drawing up the European search report and for the examination, and, preferably, cite the documents reflecting such art;

(c) disclose the invention, as claimed, in such terms that the technical problem (even if not expressly stated as such) and its solution can be understood, and state any advantageous effects of the invention with reference to the background art;

(d) briefly describe the figures in the drawings, if any;

(e) describe in detail at least one way of carrying out the invention claimed using examples where appropriate and referring to the drawings, if any;

(f) indicate explicitly, when it is not obvious from the description or nature of the invention, the way in which the invention is capable of exploitation in industry.

(2) The description shall be presented in the manner and order specified in paragraph 1, unless because of the nature of the invention, a different manner or a different order would afford a better understanding and a more economic presentation.

38 Amended by decision of the Administrative Council of 07.12.1990 which entered into force on 01.06.1991 (OJ EPO 1991, 4 ff).

39  See decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 1/03, G 2/03 (Annex I).