Washington, D.C. Location

McNeely, Hare & War LLP
5335 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Suite 440,
Washington, DC 20015
(202) 274-0214

Directions | Email

Princeton, NJ Location

McNeely, Hare & War LLP
12 Roszel Road, Suite C104,
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 240-2533

Directions | Email

Translate Site:

       

Seminar Sign Up

WIPO Regulations for International Patent Applications under the PCT

Rule 8

The PCT patent abstract

8.1       Contents and Form of the PCT patent abstract

(a)
The PCT patent abstract shall consist of the following:

(i)
a summary of the disclosure as contained in the description, the claims, and any drawings; the summary shall indicate the technical field to which the invention pertains and shall be drafted in a way which allows the clear understanding of the technical problem, the gist of the solution of that problem through the invention, and the principal use or uses of the invention;

(ii)
where applicable, the chemical formula which, among all the formulae contained in the international application, best characterizes the invention.

(b)
The PCT patent abstract shall be as concise as the disclosure permits (preferably 50 to 150 words if it is in English or when translated into English).

(c)
The PCT patent abstract shall not contain statements on the alleged merits or value of the claimed invention or on its speculative application.

(d)
Each main technical feature mentioned in the PCT patent abstract and illustrated by a drawing in the international application shall be followed by a reference sign, placed between parentheses.

8.2       Figure

(a)
If the applicant fails to make the indication referred to in Rule 3.3(a)(iii), or if the International Searching Authority finds that a figure or figures other than that figure or those figures suggested by the applicant would, among all the figures of all the drawings, better characterize the invention, it shall, subject to paragraph (b), indicate the figure or figures which should accompany the PCT patent abstract when the latter is published by the International Bureau. In such case, the PCT patent abstract shall be accompanied by the figure or figures so indicated by the International Searching Authority. Otherwise, the PCT patent abstract shall, subject to paragraph (b), be accompanied by the figure or figures suggested by the applicant.

(b)
If the International Searching Authority finds that none of the figures of the drawings is useful for the understanding of the PCT patent abstract, it shall notify the International Bureau accordingly. In such case, the PCT patent abstract, when published by the International Bureau, shall not be accompanied by any figure of the drawings even where the applicant has made a suggestion under Rule 3.3(a)(iii).

8.3       Guiding Principles in Drafting

The PCT patent abstract shall be so drafted that it can efficiently serve as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art, especially by assisting the scientist, engineer or researcher in formulating an opinion on whether there is a need for consulting the international application itself.