Manual for Substantive Examination Procedure  

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CONTENTS:
Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter II: CONTENT OF THE APPLICATION (OTHER THAN CLAIMS)
     1.  General  
     2.  Abstract              
     3.  Request for grant and title
     4.  Description
     5.  Drawings 
     6.  Inventions relating to micro-organism and biological material
     7.  Prohibited matter
Chapter III The claims
     1.  General           
     2.  Form and content of claims     
     3.  Kinds of claim-Categories  
     4.  Clarity and interpretation of claims  
     5.  Conciseness, number of claims  
     6.  Support in description 
     7.  Unity of invention
     Annex to Chapter II: Guidance on assessment of unity      
Chapter Iv: Patentability  
     1.  General         
     2.  Inventions      
     3.  Further exclusions from patentability (Sections 22.6 and 22.4)  
     4.  Industrial Application Section 27  Medical inventions Section 22.3  
     5.  Novelty: prior art  
     6.  Conflict with other Philippine applications   
     7.  Test for Novelty
     8.  Non-prejudicial disclosures  
     9.  Inventive step 

Annex 1 to Chapter IV, 9: Guidance for the assessment of inventive step 

Annex 2 to Chapter IV, 9: Concerning Inventive Step  
CHAPTER V: PRIORITY
     1.  The right to prioirity 
     2.  Determining priority dates Some examples of determining priority dates
     3.  Claiming priority
CHAPTER VI: EXAMINATION PROCEDURE
     1. The start of the examination
     2.  Examination procedure in general
     3.  The first stage of examination  
     4.  Further stages of examination
     5.  Amendments
     6.  Discussion with the applicant       
     7.  Work within the examination divisions
     8.  Searching and the search report
     9.  Special applications
     10. Time limits for response to communications from the examiner; requirements on reply
     11.  Examination of observations by third parties
     12.  Oral proceedings
     13.  Taking of evidence
     14.  Grant and publication of patents
CHAPTER VII: Examples
     1.  The problem and solution approach
     2.  Patentability and industrial application
     3.  Clarity
     4.  Unity of invention            
            5.1 Patentable Inventions
            5.2 Inventions relating to Surgery, Therapy, or Diagnostic methods
            5.3 Novelty
            5.4 Inventive step
            5.5 Disclosure of Invention
            5.6 The Claims
            5.7 Microbiological Processes, Genetic Manipulation, and Products obtain by such procedures