EUROPEAN PATENT CONVENTION - 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 42 - Content of the description

Rule 4229 Content of the description

Art. 54, 56, 57, 78, 80, 83 R. 29, 30, 48, 50

(1) The description shall:

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

(b) indicate the background art which, as far as is known to the applicant, can be regarded as useful to understand the invention, draw up the European search report and examine the European patent application, 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 industrially applicable.

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

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