Utility Models

Instruction of the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic Defining Uniform Layout of a Utility Model Application

The instruction represents a standard for layout of a utility model application filed by an applicant with the Industrial Property Office of the SR (hereinafter referred to as "the Office") pursuant to Act No. 517/2007 Coll. (PDF, 135,2 kB)  on Utility Models an on amendment of some acts.

Utility model application shall contain:

1. request for entry of a utility model into the Register (2 copies)
2. description of a technical solution (3 copies)
3. at least one claim (3 copies)
4. drawings, if any (3 copies)
5. identification data of an applicant or applicants
6. identification data of an author or authors
7. document on acquiring right for utility model protection, if an applicant is not an author.

REQUEST FOR ENTRY OF A UTILITY MODEL INTO THE REGISTER

Request for entry of a utility model into the Register shall be filed in two copies on the form issued by the Office. The request shall be fully completed.

DESCRIPTION OF A TECHNICAL SOLUTION

Description of technical solution shall contain:

1. name of a technical solution in such way as it is written in the request for entry of a utility model into the Register. The name should be brief and accurate, it should not contain more than 8-10 words;
2. technical field to which the technical solution relates;
3. description of prior art, if possible together with citation of documents reflecting such art. Names or names of real manufacturers, business names and pejorative information regarding well known products or processes shall not be indicated in description;
4. explanation of a substance of a technical solution defined in claims. This explanation shall be sufficient to understand a technical problem. At the same time advantages (or disadvantages) of a technical solution with regard to prior art should by indicated. Same expressions as in claims shall be used for explanation;
5. brief description of figures in drawings (if any),description of cross-sections, perspectives, schemes;
6. description of at least one example of carrying out utility model. Selected number and kind of examples shall enable to explain and demonstrate that the technical solution is capable of realisation and they shall cover whole scope of protection following from claims. If an application contains drawings, reference signs used in drawings shall be mentioned in this part of description . Underlined Arabic numerals shall be used as reference signs. If there are more reference signs, it is recommended to make an extra list;
7. way of industrial applicability, if it is not obvious from previous parts of description.

Single parts of description of a technical solution shall be designated as: Technical Field, Prior Art, Nature of a Technical Solution, Summary of Drawings, Examples of Carrying Out of a Utility Model, Industrial Applicability. Titles shall be written from the left margin above the text itself with one line space.

PARTICULARITIES OF A DESCRIPTION OF SOME TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS

Technical solutions concerning:

1. mechanical compositions shall be specified by qualitative as well as quantitative volume of single components;
2. substances obtained by a physical-chemical method shall be specified by qualitative composition and quantitative content of components or by the physical structure;
3. chemically processed substances, i.e. compounds, including high-molecular, or biologically active substances, shall be specified by name of a composition according to the valid chemical nomenclature, by a structural formula of compounds or by the universal formula;
4. pharmaceuticals, except physical-chemical properties the description shall contain also results of pharmacology or clinical tests;
5. biologically active substances, except the physical-chemical properties, description shall also contain results of pharmacological or clinic tests;
6. substances obtained by nuclear reaction resulting from artificial nuclear reactions shall be specified in description by properties inevitable for their unambiguous identification.

CLAIMS

A part of an application containing claims shall begin on a separate sheet of paper and shall be designated as Claims.

Subject-matter for which the protection is required shall be defined in at least one claim in terms of technical features. Where appropriate, claims shall contain:

1. introductory part including the name of a technical solution and features which are necessary for definition of a subject-matter of protection and which are, in combination, a part of the prior art;
2. designation part - presented by an expression "characterised in that " - stating determining technical features for which, in combination with features stated in the introductory part, protection is required.

An application may contain several independent claims if a requirement of unity of technical solution is fulfilled. Claims relating to special (advantageous) carrying out of a technical solution (dependent claims) may be added to any independent claim. .Any claim which includes all the features of other claim (dependent claim) shall contain, in the introductory part, the reference to the other claim and state the additional features claimed.

Number of claims shall be adequate to the nature of a technical solution for which the protection is required. If an application contains several claims, they shall be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals.

Claims shall not contain, except where absolutely necessary, references to description or drawings. In particular they shall not contain references as: "as described in description" or "as illustrated in figure".

If an application contains drawings, respective parts of claims shall be marked with reference signs, unless comprehensibility of claims is simplified. The reference signs in claims shall be placed in brackets.

Every patent claim shall be expressed in a single sentence.

ABSTRACT

Abstract shall be on a separate sheet of paper and shall be as brief as it enables a substance of a technical solution, it should not contain more than 150 words. An abstract shall not contain indications on advantages or value of applied technical solution. Every feature of a technical solution stated in an abstract and illustrated in drawings shall be supplied with a reference sign in brackets.

DRAWINGS

Used surface area on sheets containing drawings shall not exceed 26,2 x 17 cm. These sheets shall not contain frames round the usable surface. The minimum margins shall be as follows:

1. top 2,5 cm
2. left side 2,5 cm
3. right side 1,5 cm
4. bottom 1,0 cm

Drawings shall be executed in durable, black, uniformity thick lines without shading and colourings.

Cross-sections shall be indicated by hatching which should not impede clear reading of reference signs and leading lines.

The scale of drawings and distinctness of their graphical execution shall be such that a photographic reproduction with a linear reduction in size to two/thirds would enable all details to be distinguished without difficulty.

All numbers, letters and reference signs appearing on drawings shall be simple and clear. Brackets, circles or inverted commas shall not be used in association with numbers and letters.

The height of numbers and letters shall not be less than 0,32 cm.

One sheet of drawings may contain several figures. Single figures shall be arranged in upright position.

Figures shall be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals and independently from sheets of drawings.

Reference signs may be used in a drawing only if they are used in a description and vice versa.

Drawings shall not contain any explanatory notes, except necessary single words as "water", "steam", "open", "closed" , "section on A-A", or short catchwords in electrical circuits and block schemes or process diagrams, if they are necessary for understanding. Such explanatory notes shall be placed in such a way that they could be replaced by their translations without covering any lines of drawings.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

At least one copy, except the request, shall be presented in a way enabling direct reproduction or printing. The main copy shall be on A4 paper which shall be white, strong, matt and durable. A picture or a text shall be placed in upright position and only one side of the sheet shall be used. The main copy may not contain signature, seal, etc.

Each part of an application (description, claims) shall start on a new sheet. All sheets shall be connected in such a way that they can easily be turned over, separated and joined together again.

Except a request and drawings, the minimum margins shall be as follows:

1. top 2,5 cm
2. left side 2,5 cm
3. right side 2,0 cm
4. bottom 2,0 cm

All sheets of the description and the claims shall be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals.

Request, description and claims shall be typed or printed. Space between lines shall be 1.5. All typed texts shall be in characters, capital letters of which are not less than 0,21 cm high and shall be in dark indelible colour. Chemical structural and common formulae and relations and equations shall be placed on single lines.

Description and claims must not contain any drawings. They may contain chemical or mathematical formulae and tables.

Used mathematical, physical and electro-technical signs and units as well as terminology should meet technical standard, if any. Otherwise they have to meet signs, units and terms generally accepted in the field of question. Formal setup shall meet technical standards or related international regulations.

Terminology and reference signs shall be consistent through the whole application of utility model.