How should figures be numbered in PCT application drawings?
Figures in PCT application drawings must be numbered according to specific guidelines outlined in MPEP 1825 and PCT Rule 11.13. The key requirements are:
- Figures must be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals.
- Numbering should be independent of sheet numbers.
- Figures should be numbered in the order they appear, if possible.
- The numbering should be preceded by the expression “Fig.”
The MPEP states: “Different figures on the sheets of drawings must be numbered in Arabic numerals consecutively and independently of the numbering of the sheets and, if possible, in the order in which they appear. This numbering should be preceded by the expression ‘Fig.’“
For additional sheets, a special numbering system is used: “In situations where one or more sheets are added, each sheet shall be identified by the number of the preceding sheet followed by a slant and then by another Arabic numeral such that the additional sheets are numbered consecutively, starting always with number one for the first sheet added after an unchanged sheet (e.g., 10/1, 15/1, 15/2, 15/3, etc.).“
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