Patents Act, 1970
9. Provisional and complete specifications
(1) Where an application for a patent (not being a convention
application) is accompanied by a provisional specification, a complete
specification shall be filed within twelve months from the date of filing of
the application, and if the complete specification is not so filed the
application shall be deemed to be abandoned:
PROVIDED that the complete specification may be filed
at any time after twelve months but within fifteen months from the date
aforesaid, if a request to that effect is made to the Controller and the
prescribed fee is paid on or before the date on which the complete
specification is filed.
(2) Where two or more applications in the name of the same
applicant are accompanied by provisional specifications in respect of
inventions which are cognate or of which one is a modification of another and
the Controller is of opinion that the whole of such inventions are such as to
constitute a single invention and may properly be included in one patent, he
may allow one complete specification to be filed in respect of all such
provisional specifications.
(3) Where an application for a patent (not being a convention
application) is accompanied by a specification purporting to be a complete
specification, the Controller may, if the applicant so requests at any time
before the acceptance of the specification, direct that such specification
shall be treated for the purposes of this Act as a provisional specification
and proceed with the application accordingly.
(4) Where a complete specification has been filed in pursuance
of an application for a patent accompanied by a provisional specification or by
a specification treated by virtue of a direction under sub-section (3) as a
provisional specification, the Controller may, if the applicant so requests at
any time before the acceptance of the complete specification, cancel the
provisional specification and post-date the application to the date of filing
of the complete specification.