Patent Applications
Pendency of patent applications is measured in terms of pending Requests of Examination awaiting disposal at different stages of processing in Patent Offices. Pendency in the Indian Patent Offices as on 01.04.2016, location-wise, is as under:-
| Location | No. of Applications |
| Delhi | 88297 |
| Chennai | 78405 |
| Kolkata | 39911 |
| Mumbai | 31058 |
| Total | 237671 |
While there is no ‘Patent Application Investigation System’, the examination and disposal of patent applications is done electronically, which is regularly upgraded.
Patent Offices are located at four locations in the country as under:
| Sl.No. | Office | Territorial Jurisdiction |
| 1 | Patent Office Mumbai | The States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Chhattisgarh and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu & Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
| 2 | Patent Office Chennai | The States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep, Minicoy and Aminidivi Islands |
| 3 | Patent Office Delhi | The States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. |
| 4 | Patent Office Kolkata | The States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. |
The Patent Offices function under the control and superintendence of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, having headquarters at Mumbai. Each Patent Office is headed by a Head of Office having support staff for day-to day functioning. Technical manpower in the Patent Offices includes Examiners of Patents and Designs who conduct the work related to examination of patent applications and Controllers of Patents & Designs who grant or reject patent applications as per provisions of the Patents Act 1970. For the purpose of streamlining the work processing of patent applications being filed in various scientific fields, four Examinations Groups, each headed by a Group Leader, have been formed at each Patent Office based on the broad area of specialization. These groups are:
- Chemistry, pharmaceutical, polymer science and allied subjects.
- Biotechnology, Microbiology, Biochemistry and allied subjects.
- Electrical engineering, Electronics, Computer science, Physics and related subject.
- Mechanical, Textiles, Civil engineering and other subjects.
Following are the measures taken/being taken by the Government to make the patent application process more transparent:
(i) Facilities for quick and efficient access to all types of data and information regarding patent processing are available on the official website for the benefit of users.
(ii) Dynamic utilities for knowing current status of patent applications and grant have been made available on the official website. A Stock and Flow based Dynamic Utility for Patent has been made available to provide the applicants/ stakeholders with the facility on real time basis to view the Patents under different stocks and the flow of applications at various stages of processing.
(iii) E-Register of Patents containing all information including renewals, assignments and other legal status made available for public.
(iv) Manuals of office practice and procedure for Patents and Guidelines for Examinations have been uploaded in the website.
(v) The system of QR Code(s) has been introduced. The Codes are printed on the application filing receipts issued by Patents Office. This facility enables the stakeholders to verify the contents of the above correspondence issued by respective offices and, thus, further enhances transparency in the public delivery system.
(vi) The patent office follows the queuing process strictly
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.