We will work with you to draft a patent specification to describe your invention.

Your patent specification is a very important document and will contain a description of all examples of your invention, drawings to illustrate your invention, and one or more claims. The claims define the scope of protection of any subsequently granted patent. They are precisely worded statements, which are drafted to define clearly and concisely the invention you are seeking to protect.
 

Following filing of your application, we will request that the application is “searched” by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). The UKIPO will conduct a “preliminary examination” of the application and check that all necessary documents and forms have been filed. They will then conduct a search to identify any documents relevant to the novelty and inventive step of your application. Any prior published documents that disclose your invention or render it obvious will be cited in the search report. We will be given an opportunity to review the search report and the cited documents to identify one or more features which distinguish your invention from what is already known. It is possible to file amendments to the claims (defining the scope of protection) of your application in light of the search report. Your application will then be published 18 months after filing. Prior to publication, your application and the details of your invention are confidential.
 

The UKIPO will issue a substantive examination report setting out any objections to the grant of a patent and giving their opinion on whether your invention is new and inventive. We are then given the opportunity to respond to the examination report to overcome the objections raised. It is common for the claims to require amendment in light of the objections raised by the Examiner. It is also common for examination of your application to involve further examination reports and responses. Once all the objections have been overcome then a patent is granted and re-published. We have a period of four and a half years from filing the application to put the application in order for grant or 12 months from the date of the first examination report, whichever expires later.
 

The patent application procedure usually takes in the region of 3 to 5 years and the costs can vary considerably, depending on the nature of the invention and the objections raised by the UKIPO. We are happy to provide costs estimates at each stage of the procedure.

UK PATENT APPLICATIONS