Guides to getting a patent

For every office

1. Patent drawing requirements: USPTO, EPO and India

   37 CFR 1.84, the EPO rules that replaced Rule 46 EPC, and Indian rule 15, compared side by side.

2. How to write patent claims: USPTO, EPO and India

   Claim structure and worked examples, then the claim rules and fees at the USPTO, the EPO and the Indian Patent Office, side by side.

3. Types of patent searches, and which one you need

   Patentability, freedom-to-operate, invalidity and landscape searches compared by purpose, timing, scope and deliverable.

4. Patentability search: how to check novelty before you file

   What counts as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102 and Art. 54 EPC, the grace period gap, search steps and how to read results.

5. Freedom-to-operate search in the US and Europe

   In-force claims only, legal status checks at the USPTO, EPO and UPC, FTO opinions after Halo, and design-arounds.

6. Invalidity search: prior art to challenge a patent

   IPR, PGR, EPO opposition and UPC revocation deadlines, prior art dates, standards documents and claim charts.

7. Patent landscape analysis, step by step

   Building a CPC and keyword dataset, cleaning families and names, the metrics that matter and the 18-month publication lag.

8. Google Patents search guide

   Search operators and fields, Boolean and proximity syntax, non-patent literature, and where Google Patents falls short of the official databases.

9. The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), explained

   How CPC symbols are built, CPC against IPC, the Y section, how to find the right class and how to search it in each database.

10. Patent search Boolean operators and search strings

    Boolean, proximity and truncation syntax compared across Patent Public Search, Espacenet, Google Patents and The Lens, with semantic search for contrast.

11. The PCT application: timeline, fees and national phase

    The international phase month by month, receiving Office and ISA fees in CHF, USD and EUR, national phase deadlines by office, and a deadline calculator.

12. How much does a patent cost?

    USPTO fees by entity size from filing to the last maintenance fee, what drives professional fees, EPO fees, and an estimator.

13. How long does a patent last?

    US utility and design terms, patent term adjustment and extension, terminal disclaimers, maintenance fee deadlines, Europe and India, with an expiry estimator.

14. Can AI write a patent application?

    What AI drafting does well and badly, the USPTO and EPO positions on AI tools, AI inventorship after 2025, and confidentiality.

15. PCT national phase deadlines by country

    30, 31 or more months: the national phase time limit at every office in WIPO's table, late-entry options and a deadline calculator.

16. PCT search report, written opinion and Chapter II

    How to read the international search report and written opinion, Article 19 amendments, informal comments, and when a Chapter II demand is worth filing.

United States (USPTO)

For the statute itself, read 35 U.S.C., annotated: the key sections of Title 35 with plain-English notes.

1. How to file a provisional patent application (US)

   What a US provisional must contain, the USPTO fees, the 12-month deadline under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), and when to skip it.

2. USPTO patent fees (2026)

   Every USPTO patent fee for large, small and micro entities, from filing to maintenance, with a fee calculator.

3. How to respond to a USPTO office action

   Reply deadlines and extension fees, 101, 102, 103 and 112 rejections, interviews, and options after a final rejection.

4. How to use USPTO Patent Public Search

   Basic and Advanced Search, the three databases, field codes, ADJ, NEAR, WITH and SAME, truncation and a worked search.

5. How to respond to a 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection

   The Alice/Mayo steps in MPEP 2106, Ex parte Desjardins and the 2024-2026 USPTO guidance, Berkheimer evidence and Rule 132 eligibility declarations.

6. How to respond to a 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection

   Anticipation under MPEP 2131, AIA 102(a)(1) and (a)(2), the 102(b) exceptions, inherency and Rule 130 declarations.

7. How to respond to a 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection

   Graham and the KSR rationales in MPEP 2143, teaching away, motivation to combine, secondary considerations with nexus, and Rule 132 evidence.

8. How to respond to a 35 U.S.C. 112 rejection

   Written description and enablement after Amgen, 112(b) indefiniteness, 112(f) means-plus-function after Williamson, and 112(d) dependent claims.

9. Entering the US national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371

   The 30-month deadline and revival, the 371 requirements, national stage fees by entity size, and 371 versus a bypass continuation.

10. The US foreign filing license (35 U.S.C. 184)

    When a US-made invention needs a license to be filed abroad, the six-month rule, expedited and retroactive licenses, and the Indian and European equivalents.

11. Filing a US patent from Europe or India

    The 2026 US practitioner rule for foreign applicants, Paris priority and certified copies, small entity status, PCT or direct, fees and translations.

12. What is a utility patent?

    What a US utility patent covers under 35 U.S.C. 101, the parts of the application in 37 CFR 1.77 order, the 20-year term and USPTO costs.

13. Design patents in the United States

    What a design patent protects, drawings and the single claim, the 15-year term, Hague filings, LKQ v. GM, and design vs utility patents.

14. How to file a nonprovisional patent application

    Required parts and fees, claiming a provisional within 12 months, DOCX filing in Patent Center, and what happens after you file.

15. Provisional vs nonprovisional patent application

    The two US filings side by side, the cost of each route, the effect on term and publication, and a guide to which to file.

16. Continuation, CIP and divisional applications

    Copendency, patent term, double patenting and terminal disclaimers, the 2025 continuing application fee, and continuation strategy.

17. How to patent an idea in the US

    Nine steps from patentability and search to provisional filing, Patent Center, examination and maintenance, with the USPTO's free help programs.

18. Small entity vs micro entity status

    Who qualifies under 37 CFR 1.27 and 1.29, the 2026 income limit, SB/15A and SB/15B, license traps, fixing errors, and an eligibility checker.

19. Restriction requirements and election of species

    How to answer a USPTO restriction or election of species requirement, from traverse and rejoinder to divisionals and unity in 371 cases.

20. Options after a final rejection

    Amendment after final, advisory actions, the end of AFCP 2.0, RCE, pre-appeal and appeal, with fees, timing and USPTO outcome data.

21. Request for continued examination (RCE)

    What 37 CFR 1.114 requires, first and later RCE fees, patent term effects, and when an RCE beats an appeal.

22. Information disclosure statements (IDS)

    The duty of disclosure, IDS timing windows and fees, the 2025 size fee, EPO search reports, Therasense and QPIDS.

23. PTAB ex parte appeals

    Notice of appeal to decision step by step, with fees, deadlines and the PTAB's FY 2026 pendency and outcome statistics.

24. Track One prioritized examination

    Track One requirements, fees by entity size, the 20,000 annual cap and USPTO timing data, plus PPH and age or health petitions.

25. 35 U.S.C., annotated: US patent law section by section

    The current text of 34 key sections of Title 35 with plain-English summaries, key cases, 37 CFR rules and MPEP references.

26. USPTO maintenance fees (2026)

    Maintenance fees at 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years for large, small and micro entities, the grace period, reinstatement and a due-date calculator.

27. Notice of allowance and the issue fee

    The non-extendable 3-month issue fee deadline, 2026 issue fees, and the IDS, RCE and continuation options before and after you pay.

28. USPTO extensions of time (37 CFR 1.136)

    One to five-month extension fees by entity size, which deadlines can and cannot be extended, how to request one, and what happens after abandonment.

Europe (EPO)

For the law itself, read the European Patent Convention, annotated: the key Articles and Rules with their deadlines and case law.

1. How to file a European patent application

   Direct or Euro-PCT filing, search, examination, grant and validation, with the EPO fees in force from 1 April 2026.

2. The Unitary Patent and the UPC, explained

   The 18 countries covered, renewal fees, the UPC opt-out, and when classic validation is the better choice.

3. EPO fees 2026: the full fee schedule

   Every EPO fee in force from 1 April 2026, the 30% micro-entity reduction, PCT fees at the EPO and a fee calculator.

4. How much does a European patent cost?

   EPO fees to grant, translations, validation and renewals, with the EPO's Unitary Patent cost comparison and two worked examples.

5. European patent validation: countries and deadlines

   Translation rules and deadlines in all 40 EPC states, the London Agreement, extension and validation states, and the Unitary Patent.

6. The problem-solution approach to inventive step at the EPO

   Closest prior art, the objective technical problem and the could-would test, with a fully worked example and the usual mistakes.

7. Software and AI patents in Europe

   Computer-implemented and AI inventions at the EPO: Article 52, COMVIK, G 1/19, claim drafting, and the UK and US positions.

8. European patent opposition at the EPO

   The 9-month deadline and fee, the grounds, procedure and oral proceedings, appeal to the Boards, and how it compares with UPC revocation.

9. Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) in Europe

   Who can get an SPC, how long it lasts, the filing deadline, the paediatric extension, the manufacturing waiver and the unitary SPC proposal.

10. The European search report and EESR, explained

    X, Y and A citation categories, the search opinion, Rule 62a and 63 limited searches, and the Rule 70a deadline to reply.

11. Entering the European phase from a PCT application

    The 31-month deadline, Rule 159 acts and fees, the supplementary search, Rule 161, translations and a worked example.

12. European divisional applications under Rule 36 EPC

    When the parent is pending, fees by generation, back renewal fees, the Article 76 added-matter trap and timing.

13. How to speed up EPO prosecution: PACE, PPH and waivers

    PACE since February 2026, the Rule 70(2) and Rule 161 waivers, PPH with the USPTO, and fast Rule 71(3) approval.

14. The European Patent Convention, annotated

    Key EPC Articles and Rules explained one by one, from novelty and claims to Rule 71(3), with deadlines, fees and Enlarged Board case law.

15. How to search Espacenet

    Smart and Advanced search, field identifiers, proximity and truncation, CPC, INPADOC families, legal events and Global Dossier.

16. EPO renewal fees (2026)

    Renewal fees for pending European applications, due dates under Rule 51, the 50% late fee, divisionals, Euro-PCT, and what you pay after grant.

Germany (DPMA)

1. How to file a German patent application (DPMA)

   Filing, the German translation deadline, search and examination requests, DPMA fees and the utility model.

2. The German utility model (Gebrauchsmuster)

   What it protects, the 10-year term, the 6-month grace period, branching off from a patent application, DPMA fees and cancellation.

India (IP India)

For the law itself, read the Patents Act, 1970, section by section, as amended up to 2024.

1. How to file a patent in India, step by step

   Every step from prior art search to grant, with the forms and deadlines at each one.

2. Types of patent applications in India

   Ordinary, provisional, convention, PCT national phase, divisional and patent of addition, plus product vs process patents.

3. Provisional vs complete specification in India

   When to file a provisional, what it must contain, and the 12-month deadline for the complete.

4. Patent fees in India (2026)

   Every official Indian patent fee from filing to renewal, with a fee calculator.

5. Form 18: request for examination in India

   The Form 18 deadline, fees, expedited examination on Form 18A, and what happens if you miss it.

6. How to respond to a First Examination Report (FER)

   The FER deadline, common objections, how to structure the reply, and the hearing.

7. Indian patent timeline, from filing to expiry

   Each stage of an Indian patent with its statutory deadline, from filing to the end of the 20-year term.

8. How to check Indian patent application status

   Where to check an Indian patent application's status, and what each status means.

9. The Indian Patent Journal, explained

   What the weekly Indian Patent Journal publishes and how to search it.

10. Pre-grant and post-grant opposition in India

    Who can oppose, the grounds in Section 25, the deadlines and fees, Form 7A and Form 7, and how the Opposition Board and hearing work.

United Kingdom (UKIPO)

1. How to file a UK patent application (UKIPO)

   Forms 9A and 10, the deadlines, the IPO fees in force from 1 April 2026, the Green Channel, renewals and the European route.

2. The UK Patent Box, explained

   The 10% rate, which UK, EP and EEA patents qualify, the R&D (nexus) fraction, the election deadline and a worked example.

3. UK patent fees and forms (2026)

   UKIPO filing, search and examination fees, excess claim and page fees, the forms that go with them, and renewal fees from year 5 to year 20.

France (INPI)

1. How to file a French patent application (INPI)

   Filing in English, the search report and written opinion, INPI fees, opposition since April 2020 and the 10-year utility certificate.