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Patent Applications |
To apply for a provisional patent, the following forms have to be completed:
All documents should preferably be printed. It is important that the description of the specification is comprehensive and clear, and where applicable, drawings must be attached. On receipt of the provisional patent application the Patent Office will open a file and issue a receipt to the applicant together with a reference number, which is the Provisional Patent Application Number, which is to be placed on all items manufactured in terms of the patent application. Following the successful application for a provisional patent the applicant has 12 months in which to apply for a full patent. This period is to enable the inventor time to test the market and to assess the viability of the invention before committing himself to incurring the heavy costs involved in a full application. After applying for a complete patent, formal examination commences, and this process usually takes about 9 months. Once all the formalities have been complied with and the application is accepted, the applicant is then required to publish the patent in the Patents Journal, published every month by the government printers. This is usually done for the applicant by his patent attorneys. |