1. Patent acceptance stage
This is the first step: after the applicant submits the documents to the Patent Office, the Patent Office will review the patent documents after receiving them. If the acceptance conditions are met, The Patent Office will determine the application date, issue a patent acceptance notice, and notify the applicant.
2. Preliminary review stage
If the accepted patent application documents pay the application fee in accordance with regulations, they will automatically enter the preliminary review stage. The staff of the Patent Office will conduct a preliminary examination based on the scope of rights required in the Patent Law to see whether the patent application documents are qualified. If the application is unqualified, the Patent Office will notify the applicant to make corrections or state opinions within the prescribed time limit. If the applicant fails to respond within the time limit, the application will be deemed to have been withdrawn. If the defect has not been eliminated after the reply, it shall be rejected.
3. Patent document disclosure stage
After the patent application passes the preliminary examination, it will enter the disclosure stage. Generally, invention patents will not enter the publication stage until 15 months after the filing date. The application can require the Intellectual Property Office to disclose patent application documents in advance. After the application documents are published, the applicant's patent documents have obtained relative protection rights.
4. Substantial review stage
During the substantive review of the patent application, the staff of the Intellectual Property Office will determine whether the invention patent has novelty, creativity, practicality and other substance stipulated in the patent law. A comprehensive review of sexual conditions. If upon review it is determined that the authorization conditions are not met or there are various deficiencies, the applicant will be notified to state their opinions or make modifications within the specified time. If no reply is made within the time limit, the application will be deemed to have been withdrawn. The application still does not meet the requirements after multiple replies. , be dismissed. Generally, substantive examination takes a long time, so you need to wait patiently.
5. Authorization and certification stage
After the above procedures are passed, the patent examiner will proofread the patent. After review and modification, a patent authorization notice and registration notice will be issued. The relevant fees must be paid within two months. Failure to pay will be deemed to have given up the patent rights.