Guide for project owners

How to run a patent cost simulation, how a patent attorney invited to the directory completes an application, and how a firm registers in the firm directory.

1. 1

   Describe the applicants

   For each applicant, enter the legal status, the country of incorporation or nationality and, where relevant, the residence. These details open or close the PCT route — at least one applicant must have the required nationality or residence — and drive the reductions each office grants.

   

2. 2

   Set the complexity

   Enter the number of claims and pages, the standard number of office actions and your estimated time to grant. The duration is your own assumption and never creates extra office actions. The standard form accepts 0 to 8; advanced mode accepts exceptional scenarios up to the server limit of 20.

   

3. 3

   Describe the first filing

   Choose the lead attorney's country, the first filing date, then direct PCT or a national/regional office. For a national or regional filing, the form displays only that office's available titles and procedural levels: patent, provisional application, utility certificate or model, or the UK filing/search/examination level. Finally state what happens to the initial application within the family.

   

4. 4

   Choose the procedures and territories

   Open "Procedures and territories" and pick the protection sought: national phases country by country, EPC contracting states covered through the EPO route, Bosnia and Herzegovina as an extension state, and Morocco, Tunisia, Cambodia, Georgia and Laos as validation states. The world map offers the same selection on a map.

   

5. 5

   Adjust office actions by office

   After selecting the territories, leave an office blank to inherit the standard value, or enter 0 when no office action is expected. PCT national-phase offices appear even without an EPO route. For the USPTO, set office actions per examination cycle, RCEs (requests for continued examination) and any appeal stage separately; each RCE opens another cycle.

   

6. 6

   Set any PCT options

   The PCT block appears once the box is ticked. State the receiving Office, the international searching authority and the filing format; the number of pages comes from "Complexity". A 90% reduction of the international fee exists for some applicants, and the EPO as searching authority grants 75% in the cases provided for.

   

7. 7

   Set any EPO options

   The EPO block opens only when an EPO procedure is part of the scenario. Without PCT this is a direct European application; with PCT and EPC territories it is a Euro-PCT entry and may be enabled automatically. Choose the post-grant strategy: classic European patent with national validations, with or without UPC opt-out, or the Unitary Patent. The 30% language reduction is declared here.

   

8. 8

   Return to the applicants to complete reductions

   Once the procedures, territories and PCT/EPO options are set, reopen "Applicants". The simulator then displays only the reduction regimes linked to the offices actually used. For each applicant, complete the requested category, confirmations and ownership share, then review the PCT and EPO options.

   

9. 9

   Run the calculation

   Check the assumptions summary, then run the calculation. The e-mail address, quote title and role are required. Two separate optional choices are offered: receiving the PDF report by e-mail, and being contacted by an attorney. No name or phone number is requested.

   

10. 10

    Read the results and alerts

    The result is marked complete, partial or blocked. A partial total excludes every missing or unconfirmed official fee; a blocked scenario is never presented as a complete estimate. When a reliable source is available, the alert lets you enter the missing amount and currency manually, then recalculate.

    

11. 11

    Download the report

    The PDF report carries the annual chart, assumptions, reductions and relevant legal references.

    

12. 12

    Request an appointment

    From the results, choose a slot, language and subject, then give your e-mail. Patfee records a request in your time zone; you are not booking Microsoft directly. The first eligible attorney to accept is assigned and all competing links immediately expire.

    

13. 13

    Receive the Microsoft confirmation

    After assignment, Microsoft Bookings creates the Teams meeting and Patfee sends the confirmed time and join link to both sides. If Microsoft is still processing, a follow-up supplies the link without duplicating the appointment. An administrative cancellation is synchronised with Bookings and each person receives one notice.