A concise summary of the technical disclosure of a patent document (e.g. patent application) enabling a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter covered, usually in the patent searching context.
An abstract provides technical information and cannot be taken into account for other purposes, e.g., for interpreting the scope of protection claimed in the patent document itself.
The text of an abstract usually contains no more than 150 words and may be accompanied by a representative drawing or chemical formula.
The abstract is usually prepared by the applicant and published on the front page of the patent document. It may also be published separately, e.g., in an official gazette or an abstract journal. In several countries patent abstracts are separately published as special documents containing bibliographic data, the text of the abstract, and drawings or chemical formulae.
Patent abstracts are also prepared and distributed by special abstracting services (commercial firms specialized in technological information services).
