Commonwealth Numbered Regulations

1991 No. 71 PATENTS REGULATIONS - SCHEDULE 3

                SCHEDULE 3     Paragraphs 3.2(2) (b) and 10.2 (1) (a)

and subregulation 22.16 (2)
FORMAL REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED Terminology and signs
1. In a document:

   (a)  units of description must be expressed in terms of the metric system
        or, if first expressed in other terms, must be expressed also in terms
        of that system; and

   (b)  temperatures must be expressed in degrees Celsius or, if first
        expressed in another manner, must be expressed also in degrees
        Celsius; and

   (c)  to indicate units of measurement, the rules of international practice
        must be observed; and

   (d)  in chemical formulas, the symbols, atomic weights and molecular
        formulas in general use must be employed; and

   (e)  other terms, signs and symbols that are generally accepted in the art
        to which the document principally relates must be employed; and
 (f) if the document is expressed in English   the beginning
of any decimal fraction must be marked by a period; and

   (g)  units, signs, symbols and other terms must be used consistently.
        Fitness for reproduction
2. Each sheet comprising a document or part of a document:

   (a)  must be presented in a manner that allows any number of copies of the
        sheet to be reproduced directly by means of photography, an
        electrostatic or photo-offset process and microfilming; and

   (b)  must not be folded, creased or cracked; and

   (c)  subject to subclause 8 (4) ("drawings, formulas and tables in textual
        matter") and subclause 11 (14) ("special requirements for drawings"),
        must be presented in a vertical format; and

   (d)  must be durable, flexible, smooth, strong, white and have a matt
        finish; and

   (e)  must be international sheet size A4. Separate sheets
3. (1) The patent request, the description of the invention, the claim or
claims, any drawing, and an abstract, must each commence on a separate sheet.

(2) The sheets comprising a document must be connected so that they may be
readily:

   (a)  turned to be read; and

   (b)  separated for the purposes of reproduction and then rejoined. Margins
4. (1) Subject to subclause (2), each sheet of a specification, or an
abstract, must have a margin that is not less than:

        (i)    at the top-2 cm; and

        (ii)   on the left-2.5 cm; and

        (iii)  on the right-2 cm; and

        (iv)   at the bottom-2 cm; and

(2) A sheet of drawings:

   (a)  must have a margin that is not less than:

        (i)    at the top-2.5 cm; and

        (ii)   on the left-2.5 cm; and

        (iii)  on the right-1.5 cm; and

        (iv)   at the bottom-1 cm; and

   (b)  must not contain a frame surrounding the drawings. Numeration
5. (1) The parts of a patent application referred to in this subclause must be
presented in the following order:

   (a)  patent request;

   (b)  description of the invention;

   (c)  claim or claims;

   (d)  drawing or drawings;

   (e)  abstract.

(2) Subject to subclause (3), the sheets of a specification must be numbered
consecutively in arabic numerals beginning with "1" that are placed at the
top, and in the middle, of the sheet, but not within the margins of the sheet.

(3) The sheets of a specification that contain drawings must be numbered by
means of sets of 2 arabic numerals separated by an oblique stroke, the first
numeral in each set being the consecutive number of each sheet, beginning with
the arabic number "1", and the second being the total number of the sheets
containing the drawings.

(4) If there is more than 1 claim referred to in a complete specification, the
claims must be numbered consecutively in arabic numerals beginning with "1".
Numbering of lines
6. Every fifth line on the each sheet of the specification must be numbered:

   (a)  in arabic numerals; and

   (b)  on the left of the sheet to the right of the margin. Writing of
        textual matter
7. (1) Subject to subclause (2), except with the consent of the Commissioner,
a patent request, specification and any abstract relating to a patent
application must be typewritten or printed.

(2) If necessary, symbols relating to graphic matter, or chemical or
mathematical formulas, may be handwritten or drawn, as the case may be.

(3) The lines of text in a typewritten document must be 1 spaced or double
spaced.

(4) The text in a document must be presented in letters the capitals of which
are not less than 0.21 cm high, in a dark colour and be indelible. Drawings,
formulas and tables in textual matter
8. (1) A patent request must not include a drawing.

(2) The description of an invention or an abstract:

   (a)  must not include a drawing; and

   (b)  may include chemical or mathematical formulas or tables.

(3) A claim:

   (a)  must not include a drawing; and

   (b)  may include chemical or mathematical formulas; and

   (c)  if, in the reasonable opinion of the Commissioner, the subject matter
        of the claim makes the use of a table desirable may include tables.

(4) A table or a chemical or mathematical formula may be presented in a
horizontal format if it cannot be presented in a vertical format in a
satisfactory manner.

(5) If a table or a chemical or mathematical formula is presented in a
horizontal format, the top of the table or formula must be placed on the left
side of the paper. Words in drawings
9. A drawing must not include text, other than a word or words indispensable
to the understanding of the drawing. Alterations
10. (1) Subject to subclause (2), a document must be free from erasures,
alterations, overwritings and interlineations.

(2) If, in the reasonable opinion of the Commissioner, failure to comply with
subclause (1) would not:

   (a)  compromise the authenticity; or

   (b)  jeopardise the likelihood of clear reproduction; of a document, the
        Commissioner may excuse it from compliance with subclause (1). Special
        requirements for drawings
11. (1) A drawing must be executed in durable, black, dense, dark, uniformly
thick and well-defined, lines and strokes without colouring.

(2) A cross-section must be indicated by oblique hatching that does not impede
the clear reading of reference letters, numbers or signs and leading lines.

(3) The scale of a drawing and the distinctness of its execution must enable
all the details to be distinguished without difficulty on a photographic
reproduction of the drawing with a two-thirds linear reduction in size.

(4) If the scale of a drawing is given on the drawing, it must be represented
graphically.

(5) A letter, number or reference line that is shown on a drawing must be
presented simply and be clear.

(6) Brackets, braces, circles or inverted commas must not be used in
association with letters or numbers.

(7) A line in a drawing must ordinarily be drawn with the aid of drafting
instruments.

(8) A sheet of drawings may include more than 1 drawing.

(9) Each element of a drawing must be shown in proper proportion to each other
element of the drawing, other than where the use of a different proportion is
indispensable for the clarity of the drawing.

(10) The height of a letter or a number in a drawing must not be less than
0.32 cm.

(11) For the lettering of a drawing, the Latin or, if customary, the Greek
alphabet must be used.

(12) If drawings on 2 or more sheets of drawings form in effect a single
drawing, the drawings must be so arranged that the single drawing can be
assembled without concealing any part of the other drawings.

(13) Subject to subclause (14), if there is more than 1 drawing on a sheet of
drawings, the drawings must be presented on the sheet of drawings in a
vertical format and separate from each other.

(14) If the drawings on a sheet of drawings cannot be presented in a vertical
format, they must be presented in a horizontal format with the tops of the
drawings on the left of the sheet of drawings.

(15) The drawings must be numbered consecutively in arabic numerals beginning
with "1".

(16) A reference sign that is not mentioned in the description of the
invention must not be referred to in a drawing.

(17) A reference sign that is not mentioned in a drawing must not be referred
to in the description.

(18) A feature of a drawing that is denoted by a reference sign must be so
denoted consistently.