How to Apply for Patent in Switzerland

Make of draft of patent application that includes the following details: 

1. A written description of the invention which is disclosing the process/procedure of its functioning or working
2. Relevant Drawings/Block Diagrams/Flow Charts, if required
3. Claims of invention to define the inventive/obviousness and novelty of the invention
4. Abstract disclosing the invention briefly

Further, the IPI provide 3 months more to submit complete patent application, which can include additional claims/enhancement in description/additional drawings/amendments in abstract. 

1. Submit the drafted patent application to the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property 
2. Submit the forms such as Application for a Swiss/Liechtenstein Patent, and Denotation of Inventor 
3. Submission to IPI can be done via online using the Swiss postal system/Fax or by physical delivery to IPI office 

• At this stage, the patent office (IPI) will examine the patent application submitted by the applicant/inventor.  
• The applicant/inventor receive a certificate of filing including the official filing date and the application number, if the filing date criteria is met. Else the filed application is return explaining the reasons of return. 
• A timeline of 12 months is provided to file internationally the patent application using official filing date i.e. priority date.  
• The IPI patent office also issue an order form for requesting the optional prior art search for Swiss patent application. 

• The prior art search document includes the relevant arts and allows the applicant/inventor to evaluate the novelty and the inventive step of the invention. 

• In this phase, the IPI office check whether the patent application is in accordance and compliance with legislative requirements of patent laws. 
• If there are deficiencies/pitfalls in the filed patent application, then time is given to applicant/inventor by the IPI office to rectify/modify/amend them or to submit any missing information within the specified timeline.  
• If the deficiencies/pitfalls are rectify/modify/amend within the specified timeline, then the patent application goes to the next stage, if not, it is rejected. 

• The patent application is published in time period of 18 months after filing date (or after the earliest priority date). 
• The patent application is available online at IPI official web portal @ www.swissreg.ch 
• If a prior art search report is also completed, then it is published along with it. 

• In this phase, the patent experts in the IPI office closely analyze the technical claims of the filed patent application. 
• It is done to check whether the filed patent application fulfills the legal requirements for a patent (see Guidelines for the Material Examination).  
• The IPI office do not examine for novelty or inventive step, therefore the office recommend requesting a prior art search for Swiss patent application in the initial examination phase/stage. 

• Once all the above stages/phases are completed then the applicant/inventor is notified by the IPI office of completion of the patent application examination.  

• On the date of the publication of patent, the applicant/inventor will receive a copy of the printed patent document and a certificate.  
• The granted patent is entered in the Swiss register of patents and the patent document published online at IPI official web portal @ www.swissreg.ch.