British patent applications can be made by mail, and online applications are also supported. Online applications are cheaper. According to the relevant laws and regulations of British patent application, the following documents must be submitted to apply for a British patent: patent application, specification, patent claim, necessary drawings and abstract. If the applicant is not the inventor or the sole inventor, it is also necessary to submit a statement of invention identity and patent application right. If the patent application meets the requirements, the applicant will receive a receipt issued by UKIPO and be assigned an application number. If the applicant is in an emergency and needs to obtain a patent quickly, he can submit a request for retrieval and formal examination at the same time as submitting a patent application.
For China applicants, the British government has provided some preferential policies, that is, to file a patent application for the same invention in Britain within 65,438+02 months after China first filed an application for a patent for invention, and the filing date in China can be regarded as the priority date.
However, there are two points to note. First, the renewal fee must be paid on time according to law after the application is submitted, so as to maintain the validity of the patent application or authorization. Otherwise, both the patent in application and the authorized patent may be invalid, and the invalid patent needs to be submitted for restoration, and the protection can only be restored after approval. Second, if the invention is improved within 12 months after the filing of the patent application, the original application can be withdrawn and a new application submitted, and the priority date is still the filing date of the original application.
Step 2: Preliminary review
The preliminary examination is generally conducted by UKIPO after paying the patent application fee, with the purpose of ensuring that the patent application meets the specific formal requirements.
Step 3: Search
The purpose of retrieval is to examine whether the invention is novel and creative. Applicants need to submit a search request and pay a search fee to UKIPO within 12 months from the date of patent application, and can generally complete the search and publish a search report within 6 months.
Step 4: Make it public
UKIPO will publish the patent application in the patent journal 18 months after the date of patent application, but only if the patent application passes the preliminary examination and retrieval.
After the patent application until the patent is granted, anyone who thinks that the invention applied for authorization does not meet the authorization conditions can raise an objection to the UKIPO, but there is no objection procedure for the UK patent application, and the UKIPO will only consider it during the examination.
Step 5: Substantive review
Within 6 months after the patent application is first published, the applicant must submit a substantive examination to the UKIPO and pay the fee. The creativity of the invention, whether it has enough novelty, will be examined in the substantive examination. After examination, if there are problems in the patent application, the applicant will be informed and corrected within the specified time, otherwise the patent application will be rejected. If the applicant disagrees with the decision of UKIPO, he can apply for a unilateral hearing, and the hearing officer will make the final decision. If he still disagrees with the final decision, he can appeal to the court.
Step 6: Patent Authorization
A patent application that meets the legal requirements will get a certificate of authorization issued by UKIPO, which means that the patent has been authorized. After that, if the patentee wants to modify the patent or give up the patent, he can submit an application to the court or UKIPO. If someone thinks that the patent authorization is invalid, they can request the court or UKIPO to revoke the patent. The longest period of validity of a patent is 20 years, counting from the date of application.