Contents of a utility model application

The Finnish Act, Decree and Regulations on Utility Model Rights determine the contents of a utility model application. Read more about the legislation.

To file a utility model application with the PRH, fill in the application form and define the contents of your invention using the following documents:

• a description of the invention
• claims
• drawings if needed

You may also need to enclose:

• a letter of assignment or a statement on the right to the invention, if the applicant is a company or a person other than the inventor
• a power of attorney, if you use an attorney or agent.

Please note that the forms for filing a utility model application are only available in Finnish and Swedish. See the forms in Finnish. See the forms in Swedish.

Use our template for your application

Draw up your utility model application carefully from the outset, as you have will very limited opportunities to add or change any details in the application later.

Deficiencies in the application will slow down the registration process and may cause the application to be rejected. Use our template to make sure that your application is formally correct.

Open the template to help you draw up your application in Finnish (rtf, 51.0 KB).
Open the template in Swedish. (rtf, 56.3 KB)

Read our instructions on how to use the template in Finnish. (pdf, 78.0 KB)
Read the instructions in Swedish. (pdf, 84.0 KB)

Language of filing

Draw up your application in Finnish or Swedish. Before we can register the utility model, you must also file a translation of the claims into the other domestic language. In other words, if you have written the application and claims in Finnish, you must also file the claims in Swedish, and vice versa.

It is also possible to file the application in a different language and receive a filing date, but we will not proceed to the registrability check before the application has been translated into Finnish or Swedish.

Description of the invention

Enclose a description of the invention in written form. The description must be so detailed that a person skilled in the art is able to use the invention based on the text. A prototype or an oral explanation cannot be accepted as a part of a utility model application.

Make sure that the description includes everything necessary to understand the invention right from the start, as you cannot add any new details about the invention to the description later on. After filing the application, you can only make necessary clarifications, such as correcting misspellings.

The description must have the following structure:

• The title of the invention
• The field of application for the invention, for example, “Keksinnön kohteena on laite…” in Finnish or “Uppfinningen avser en anordning för…” in Swedish (meaning, “The present invention relates to a device for…”)
• The background to the invention, presenting the state of the art in the field of the invention
• The purpose of the invention, explaining how the invention removes the deficiencies of previously known solutions
• A general description of the invention and a reference to the claims, for example, “Keksinnölle on tunnusomaista se, mikä on esitetty suojavaatimuksen 1 tunnusmerkkiosassa” in Finnish or “Uppfinningen kännetecknas av det som anges i den kännetecknande delen av skyddskrav 1” in Swedish (meaning, “The invention is characterised by what is stated in the characterising part of claim 1”)
• A list of the drawings
• A detailed description of the invention, giving at least one example with reference to the drawings

The description must be headed with a short and factual title of the invention. Repeat the same title at the beginning of the claims.

Start the description by setting out the field of the invention and the related state of the art, in other words, the solutions that are already known. If the invention is an improvement to an already existing device, you have to describe the device. If there are any patent or utility model publications or other forms of literature where the state of the art has been presented before, refer to them in the description.

You must explain in the description what improvements are achieved with the invention compared to the state of the art. Describe the problems or deficiencies that have emerged when using the known techniques and explain how your invention removes these deficiencies. Indicate the purpose of the invention by referring to the claims.

Write a list of the drawings in your application and, after that, provide a detailed description of the invention with reference to the drawings. Give at least one detailed example where you explain at least one possible way to implement the inventive idea of your invention.

See an example of a description in Finnish.Open link in a new tab
See an example of a description in Swedish.Open link in a new tab

Claims

The claims are the most important part of the application. They define the scope of protection for the utility model, in other words, what the owner of the utility model obtains the exclusive right to. The claims must set out exactly what you want to protect with the utility model.

Each claim must have the following structure:

1. the title of the invention
2. a description of the existing technique to illustrate the comparison of how the invention is new (the state of the art), followed by the phrase “tunnettu siitä, että” in Finnish or “kännetecknad av att” in Swedish (meaning, “characterised in that”)
3. a presentation of what is new and original about the invention.

Start the claim by writing the title of the invention. After that, first set out the features of your invention that are already known, and then present the new and inventive features of your invention. Use the phrase “characterised in that” to separate the known features from the new and inventive features. Type the word “characterised” with spaced-out letters or another form of emphasis.

An application may include several independent and dependent claims:

• An independent claim defines the most important features of the invention and the scope of protection.
• A dependent claim refers to an independent claim and supplements it by presenting additional features of the invention.

The claims relate to either a device or product, not to a method or use. If the invention is a device, present all the necessary structural components. If it is a chemical product, present the composition. A chemical product can also be defined by disclosing its manufacturing process.

You can make changes to the claims during the processing of the application, but the required information must be in the application, either in the original claims or in the description.

See an example of a claim in Finnish.Open link in a new tab
See an example of a claim in Swedish.Open link in a new tab

Drawings

Illustrate your invention using primarily outline drawings with clear black lines on white A4 paper. Do not include any explanatory text in the drawings. Add reference numbers to mark the different parts of the invention. Use the same numbers in the description and the claims after the terms describing the parts of the invention.

See an example of a drawing.Open link in a new tab

More instructions and guides

Read more about how to draw up a utility model application in our Utility Model Guide. Open the guide in Finnish. (pdf, 1.3 MB) Open the guide in Swedish. (pdf, 1.3 MB)

Use our template to help you draw up your application. Open the template in Finnish. (rtf, 51.0 KB) Open the template in Swedish. (rtf, 56.3 KB)

Read our instructions on how to use the template in Finnish. (pdf, 78.0 KB) Read the instructions in Swedish. (pdf, 84.0 KB)

Use our forms for utility models when filing your application. Please note that the forms are only available in Finnish and Swedish. Go to the forms in Finnish. Go to the forms in Swedish.

Read our instructions on how to file a utility model application with the PRH.