Principle of singleness in patent application

The single principle of patent application specifically means that an application should be limited to one invention patent or utility model patent. Where there are more than two invention patents or utility model patents for a general inventive concept, it may be filed as one application.

legal ground

Article 31 of the Patent Law of People's Republic of China (PRC)

An application for a patent for an invention or utility model shall be limited to one invention or utility model. Two or more inventions or utility models belonging to a general inventive concept may be filed as one application.

An application for a patent for design shall be limited to one design. Two or more similar designs of the same product, or two or more designs of products used in the same category and sold or used in sets, may be filed as one application.

Article 32

The applicant may withdraw his patent application at any time before being granted the patent right.

Article 33

The applicant may modify his patent application documents, but the modification of the application documents for patents for inventions and utility models shall not exceed the scope recorded in the original specifications and claims, and the modification of the application documents for patents for designs shall not exceed the scope shown in the original pictures or photographs.