Glossary
Patents have a language of their own. This glossary explains, in one or two plain sentences, the words you meet in this guide. They are in alphabetical order. Where a term has a legal meaning, you find the source in brackets: a rule or an official page.
The definitions are simplified so that someone starting from zero can follow them. They do not replace the text of the rules. The sources are listed at the end of the guide.
Terms A to E
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Abstract | A short note, preferably of no more than 150 words, saying what the patent is about. It is not used to interpret the protection (Rule 47 EPC; EPO Guidelines, F-II, 2.1). |
| Added matter | An amendment that puts into the application content going beyond the application as filed. It is not allowed (Art. 123(2) EPC). In the app the check that deals with it is called "Support in the description": everything claimed must be explained in the text. |
| Antecedent basis | A drafting rule whereby every element of a claim is introduced before it is referred back to, for example "a secondary mirror" before "the secondary mirror". The official texts we read contain no rule of that name: it is good practice tied to clarity (Art. 84 EPC). |
| Audit | The final check on the draft, made before it is handed over: it looks, for example, for features with no support in the description, claim elements with no antecedent, terms used in different ways and reference numerals that do not match. It flags points to review. It does not replace reading by a patent attorney. |
| Characterising portion | The second part of a two-part claim. It begins with "characterised in that" and states the features for which protection is sought (Rule 43(1)(b) EPC). |
| Claim | A numbered statement that defines what protection is sought for. It must be clear, concise and supported by the description (Art. 84 EPC). |
| Context | The features the description tells about but that do not carry the invention on their own: they stay in the text, but the claims do not defend them alone. In Zenit you can move a feature between Core and Context. |
| Core of the invention | The technical features that really define the invention, also called its core. The prior-art search concentrates on them and the main claims defend them. In Zenit you choose them yourself, in the second step. |
| Dependent claim | A claim that refers to another and includes all its features, adding more. It is always narrower (Rule 43(4) EPC). |
| Description | The part of the application that explains the invention: field, background, problem, solution, figures and ways of carrying out (Art. 78(1)(b) and Rule 42 EPC). |
| Disclosure | Making an invention public, in any way. If it happens before filing it destroys novelty, apart from two limited cases (Art. 54(2) and Art. 55 EPC). |
| Divisional application | A separate application filed out of an earlier European application, only for content that does not go beyond that application. It keeps the filing date of the earlier one (Art. 76(1) EPC). |
| Drawings (figures) | The figures of a patent: sheets with views, sections, flow sheets and diagrams. The application contains them if the description or the claims refer to them (Art. 78(1)(d) EPC; EPO Guidelines, A-IX, 1.1). |
| EPC | European Patent Convention: the treaty that establishes the European Patent Organisation and governs the European patent (Art. 4(1) EPC). |
| EPO | The European Patent Office, an organ of the European Patent Organisation (Art. 4(2) EPC). For European applications it draws up the search report (Art. 92 EPC); for Italian applications the EPO draws it up too (UIBM, Procedimento di esame e concessione). |
| EPO Guidelines | The manual in which the EPO explains how it examines applications. The April 2026 edition entered into force on 1 April 2026 (EPO, Guidelines for Examination). |
| Exploded view | A drawing showing the parts pulled apart, in assembly order. It is an accepted type of technical drawing (EPO Guidelines, A-IX, 1.1). |
| Extent of protection | How far what the patent protects reaches. It is determined by the claims; description and drawings are used to interpret them (Art. 69(1) EPC; Art. 52, paragraph 2, of the Code). |
Terms F to P
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| FIG | The abbreviation used to number figures: FIG. 1, FIG. 2. If there is only one figure it is not numbered (EPO Guidelines, A-IX, 5.2). |
| Filing date | The day the application is filed. It is the dividing line: what was public before counts (Art. 54(2) EPC). |
| Grace period | A time window in which a disclosure does not destroy novelty. In Europe there is no general one: only evident abuse and official exhibitions count, in the six months before filing (Art. 55 EPC). In Italy similar cases apply (Art. 47 of the Code). |
| Grant | The act by which the office recognises the patent. The exclusive rights are conferred by the grant (Art. 53, paragraph 1, of the Code). |
| Independent claim | A claim that states the essential features of the invention and stands on its own (Rule 43(3) EPC; EPO Guidelines, F-IV, 3.4). |
| Industrial application | The possibility of making or using the invention in any kind of industry, including agriculture. It is one of the three requirements (Art. 57 EPC; Art. 49 of the Code). |
| Industrial Property Code | Legislative Decree no. 30 of 10 February 2005, which governs patents, trademarks, designs and other rights in Italy. Also called the "Code" or CPI. |
| Invention | A technical solution to a technical problem, in any field of technology. To be patented it must be new, involve an inventive step and be industrially applicable (Art. 52(1) EPC; Art. 45 of the Code). |
| Inventive step | The requirement that the solution must not be obvious, to a person skilled in the art, having regard to the state of the art (Art. 56 EPC; Art. 48 of the Code). |
| Leading line | A line linking a reference numeral to the detail in the drawing. It must be short and reach at least as far as the detail (EPO Guidelines, A-IX, 7.5.1). |
| National phase (PCT) | The second phase of a PCT application, in which each chosen national or regional office carries out the substantive examination. It normally starts at the 30th month from the first date (WIPO, PCT FAQ; UIBM). |
| Novelty | The requirement that the invention must not form part of the state of the art (Art. 54(1) EPC; Art. 46 of the Code). |
| Obviousness | That which does not go beyond the normal progress of technology but merely follows plainly or logically from the prior art (EPO Guidelines, G-VII, 4). |
| Opposition | A procedure by which anyone, within nine months of publication of the grant of the European patent, can challenge it before the EPO (Art. 99(1) EPC). |
| Patent | An exclusive right granted for an invention, for a limited period and in the country or region where it is granted (WIPO, Patents). |
Terms P to S
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Patent attorney (mandatario) | A professional authorised to represent an applicant before a patent office. Before the EPO, such representatives are on a list kept by the EPO (Art. 134(1) EPC). Anyone not resident in a Contracting State must have one, except to file the application (Art. 133(2) EPC). In Italy the UIBM describes how to appoint one (UIBM, Nomina di un rappresentante/mandatario). |
| Patent family | A collection of patent applications covering the same or similar technical content, linked to each other through priority claims (EPO, Patent families). |
| PCT | The Patent Cooperation Treaty, administered by WIPO: a single international application has the same legal effect as separate applications in all Contracting States (WIPO, PCT; UIBM, Domande internazionali PCT). |
| Person skilled in the art | A reference figure: an average professional of the field, who knows what was commonly known and has the normal means for tests. Not a genius (EPO Guidelines, G-VII, 3). |
| Preamble | The first part of a two-part claim: it states the subject-matter and the necessary features which, in combination, already form part of the prior art (Rule 43(1)(a) EPC). |
| Prior art | Any information made available to the public before the filing date that can be compared with the invention. It is part of the state of the art (Art. 54(2) EPC). |
| Prior-art search | A search for the documents that form part of the state of the art. The UIBM recommends doing one before filing (UIBM, Cosa sapere prima del deposito). |
| Priority date | The date of the first application. If priority is claimed, it counts as the filing date for assessing novelty (Art. 89 EPC). |
| Publication | The moment the application becomes public: 18 months after filing or priority, or earlier if the applicant asks (Art. 93 EPC; Art. 53, paragraph 3, of the Code). |
| Reference numeral | A number written beside a part in the drawing and referred to in the text. It ties together figure, description and claims. In claims it goes in brackets and does not limit the claim (Rule 43(7) EPC; EPO Guidelines, A-IX, 7.5). In the app it appears as "Reference numerals". |
| Registered design | A right protecting the appearance of a product, that is lines, contours, colours, shape. It must be new and have individual character (Art. 31 of the Code). |
| Right of priority | The right to file the same invention in other countries within twelve months of the first application, using the date of the first (Art. 87(1) EPC). |
| Search report | The list of documents the office considers relevant to the invention, each with a letter (X, Y, A and others). It does not prove novelty (Art. 92 EPC; EPO Guidelines, B-III, 2.1). |
| State of the art | Everything made available to the public before the filing date, by written or oral description, by use or in any other way (Art. 54(2) EPC; Art. 46 of the Code). |
| Sufficiency of disclosure | The requirement that the invention be disclosed in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for a person skilled in the art to carry it out (Art. 83 EPC; Art. 51, paragraph 2, of the Code). |
Terms S to X
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Support in the description | The requirement that the breadth of the claims does not exceed what the description and drawings justify (Art. 84 EPC; EPO Guidelines, F-IV, 6.1). |
| Technical character | The quality of what uses technical means or produces a technical effect. An invention must have it (EPO Guidelines, G-II, 1). |
| Technical feature | An element used to define the subject-matter of a claim: a part, an arrangement, a step of a method (Rule 43(1) EPC). |
| Technical field | The field to which the invention belongs, stated in one sentence at the start of the description (Rule 42(1)(a) EPC). |
| Technical problem | What the invention solves, in technical terms, compared with the state of the art. It must be understandable from the description even if not stated as such (Rule 42(1)(c) EPC). |
| Term of the patent | The European patent lasts 20 years from the filing date (Art. 63(1) EPC). The same holds for the Italian patent for invention (UIBM, Procedimento di esame e concessione). |
| Title | The technical designation of the invention, clear and concise, with no fancy names (Rule 41(2)(b) EPC). |
| Trade secret | Confidential information with economic value because it is secret, protected by reasonable measures. Nothing is filed. It gives no protection against someone who finds it out independently (Arts. 98 and 99 of the Code). |
| Two-part form | A way of writing a claim with a preamble, which holds what is already known, and a characterising portion, which holds what protection is sought for. It is used where appropriate (Rule 43(1) EPC; EPO Guidelines, F-IV, 2.3). |
| UIBM | Ufficio Italiano Brevetti e Marchi, the Italian Patent and Trademark Office: the Italian body responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks and designs (UIBM, page about the Office). |
| Unity of invention | The requirement that an application relate to one invention only, or to a group of inventions so linked as to form a single general inventive concept (Art. 82 EPC; Rule 44 EPC). |
| Utility model | A right for new shapes, arrangements, configurations or combinations of parts of machines, instruments, tools or everyday objects. It lasts 10 years and has no prior-art search (Art. 82 of the Code; UIBM). |
| WIPO | The World Intellectual Property Organization, which administers the PCT (UIBM, Domande internazionali PCT). In Italian, OMPI. |
| X/Y/A citation | A letter by which the search report classifies a document. X: on its own destroys novelty or inventive step. Y: does so in combination with others. A: mere state of the art, which does not prejudice (EPO Guidelines, B-X, 9.2). |
Before writing yours
This page is general information, not legal advice: a simplified definition does not replace the rule, and a real application should be reviewed by a patent attorney (mandatario). In the app these terms recur in every step, from Questions to Review.
Sources
- Art. 55 EPC, Non-prejudicial disclosures: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a55.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 56 EPC, Inventive step: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a56.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 57 EPC, Industrial application: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a57.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 89 EPC, Effect of priority right: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a89.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 92 EPC, Drawing up of the European search report: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a92.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 93 EPC, Publication of the European patent application: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a93.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Rule 41 EPC: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/r41.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Rule 42 EPC: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/r42.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Rule 43 EPC: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/r43.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Rule 44 EPC: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/r44.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Rule 47 EPC: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/r47.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- B-III, 2.1 Completeness of the search: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/b_iii_2_1.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- B-X, 9.2 and 9.2.1: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/b_x_9_2.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- A-IX, 1.1 Technical drawings: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/a_ix_1_1.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- A-IX, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/a_ix_5_1.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- A-IX, 7.5 and 7.5.1 and 7.5.2 and 7.5.3: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/a_ix_7_5.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- F-IV, 3.4 Independent and dependent claims: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/f_iv_3_4.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- G-II, 1 and 2: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/g_ii_1.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- G-VII, 3 and 4: https://www.epo.org/en/legal/guidelines-epc/2026/g_vii_3.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- Italian IP Code (D.Lgs. 30/2005), art. 45 (Subject of the patent), Normattiva: https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art45 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Italian IP Code, art. 46 (Novelty): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art46 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Italian IP Code, art. 47 (Non-prejudicial disclosures and internal priority): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art47 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 48 (Inventive step), art. 49 (Industrial application): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art48 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 51 (Sufficient disclosure), art. 53 (Effects of patenting): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art51 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 82 (Utility model, subject): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art82 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Italian IP Code, art. 31 (Subject of the registration), art. 32, 33, 34 (designs and models): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art31 (read on 2026-10-05)
- Art. 98, art. 99 (Trade secrets): https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2005-02-10;30~art98 (read on 2026-10-05)
- UIBM, What to know before filing: https://uibm.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/brevetti/brevetto-per-invenzione-industriale/deposito-di-una-domanda-di-brevetto/cosa-sapere-prima-del-deposito (read on 2026-10-05)
- UIBM, Examination and grant procedure: https://uibm.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/brevetti/brevetto-per-invenzione-industriale/deposito-di-una-domanda-di-brevetto/procedimento-di-esame-e-concessione (read on 2026-10-05)
- UIBM, Appointing a representative: https://uibm.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/brevetti/brevetto-per-invenzione-industriale/deposito-di-una-domanda-di-brevetto/nomina-di-un-rappresentante-mandatario (read on 2026-10-05)
- WIPO, Patents: https://www.wipo.int/en/web/patents (read on 2026-10-05)
- WIPO, PCT FAQ: https://www.wipo.int/pct/en/faqs/faqs.html (read on 2026-10-05)
- EPO, Patent families: https://www.epo.org/en/searching-for-patents/helpful-resources/first-time-here/patent-families (read on 2026-10-05)