How can a patent be filed?
To file a patent a very detailed technical report needs to be prepared, describing the invention both from the constructive point of view and the functionality point of view. In order to do this, the technical drawings must be done showing the object in the way it must be made, describing its various parts and, above all, the elements characterising and differentiating it from other similar ones already in production.
The most difficult part of this lays in the drafting of the “Claims”, i.e. that part of the application detailing, in a complete and synthetic way, the innovative qualities for which the exclusivity of the production and of the trading is requested. Normally, but above all if the item to protect is very complex, it is advisable to seek the help of an expert who can prepare all the necessary documentation in a complete manner. The patent applications must be sent to the Italian Patents and Trademarks Office, their office is at the Productive Activities in Rome. However, for several years there have been special offices at the Chamber of Commerce, concentrating on the applications for patents and trademarks.
Usually, by asking these offices, the employees will also give information about the correct manner to present a patent application, even if they don’t really have to supply specific consultations on individual cases, usually restricting themselves to just checking the documents. To present a patent application one needs to get the proper forms available at the Chamber of Commerce, or they can be downloaded from the web site www.uibm.gov.it. The fees to be paid vary according to the type of patent and, in the case of a patent for an industrial invention, according to the length of the description’s text.