Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office

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Guidelines for Examination in the EPO

Guidelines for Examination - Table of Contents

PART C GUIDELINES FOR SUBSTANTIVE EXAMINATION

PART B

PART D

CHAPTER III CLAIMS

CHAPTER II CONTENT OF A EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (OTHER THAN CLAIMS)

CHAPTER IV PATENTABILITY

7. Unity of invention

6. Support in description

8. Different texts of the patent application in respect of different Contracting States (see also D-VII, 4)

7.	Unity of invention

7.1 General remarks

7.2 Special technical features

7.3 Intermediate and final products

7.4 Alternatives

7.5 Individual features in a claim

7.6 Lack of unity a priori or a posteriori

7.7 Examiner's approach

7.8 Dependent claims

7.9 Lack of unity during search

7.10 Lack of unity during substantive examination

7.11 Euro-PCT applications

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