Patent Task§ JOURNAL · Guide
DPMA Patent Drawing Requirements: Margins, Labels and a Review Checklist
For a German national patent application, a useful drawing explains the disclosed invention and remains legible in the final document. Correct margins do not repair an invented connection; a technically accurate diagram still needs a readable sheet layout. Review both the technical content and the actual exported pages.
This guide covers DE invention-patent drawings for DPMA, not registered designs, utility-model preparation or the separate European patent route. Official sources were checked on 24 October 2026. The requirements come from PatV § 12, Annex 2 to the PatV and PatV § 6. The examples and review method below are editorial guidance.
1. Use drawing-sheet dimensions, not text-page margins
The following values apply to the ordinary A4 drawing sheet. Annex 2 also specifies alternative drawing-area dimensions for the abstract drawing; do not infer those from the text-page template.
| Item | DE requirement | Practical inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet size | A4: 210 × 297 mm | Read the final document's page settings |
| Top margin | At least 25 mm | Measure to the outermost figure or label |
| Left margin | At least 25 mm | Include leader lines and reference signs |
| Right margin | At least 15 mm | Check labels near the page edge |
| Bottom margin | At least 10 mm | Check the complete figure set after export |
| Area used for illustrations | No more than 170 mm wide × 262 mm high | Fit the figure and its labels within the permitted area |
| Letters and numerals in drawings | At least 3.2 mm high | Check actual printed character height |
| Reduction | Details remain recognizable at two-thirds size | Inspect a reduced rendering of the actual sheet |
The margin and drawing-area limits both matter: satisfying the minimum margins alone does not prove that the illustration area is within its separate maximum. PatV § 6 normally uses portrait A4 and allows landscape drawings where appropriate under its orientation rule.
Do not convert 3.2 mm into an assumed font-size pass. Font point size describes a font's nominal size, not the visible height of every glyph. A large label in the source image can also shrink when placed on the document page. Measure or inspect the final output.
2. Plan each view around a technical question
Use the fictional temperature-control system from the German patent drafting guide. Its confirmed teaching facts are: sensor 10 supplies temperature T to controller 20; controller 20 switches fan 30 on at or above upper threshold H, off at or below lower threshold L, and retains the previous state between the thresholds. L is lower than H. Sensor placement, startup state, fault handling and performance data are unspecified.
Two figures have distinct purposes:
| Planned figure | Question it answers | What it must not invent |
|---|---|---|
| Fig. 1: functional block diagram | Which component measures temperature, processes it and controls the fan? | Sensor mounting, wiring terminals or drive circuitry absent from the source |
| Fig. 2: control flowchart | What happens at the upper threshold, lower threshold and between them? | A startup default, a sensor-failure response or a timed delay absent from the source |
The block diagram should make the functional signal direction clear. It does not establish the physical arrangement. Labeling a block “Steuerung” cannot justify drawing a particular processor architecture unless the disclosure actually supplies it.
Annex 2 permits views, sections, perspective and exploded representations. Choose the view that explains the subject. There is no useful target number of figures independent of the invention's content. A mechanical connection may need a section; adding a decorative perspective view will not expose its hidden operation.
3. Correct the logic before polishing the line work
Here is a concrete flowchart defect in the example:
| Before: incorrect branch | After: supported branch |
|---|---|
| “T ≥ H?” → no → “Lüfter ausschalten” | “T ≥ H?” → no → evaluate “T ≤ L?” |
| Every temperature below H switches the fan off | “T ≤ L?” → yes → “Lüfter ausschalten” |
| The intermediate interval has disappeared | “T ≤ L?” → no → “Zustand beibehalten” |
The corrected sequence preserves the lower threshold and the retained state. It does not supply an initial state; that remains a question for the inventor. The “yes” branch of the first test leads to “Lüfter einschalten.” Each outcome must be connected to the intended subsequent step, if that continuation is supplied in the disclosure.
Now compare the actual generated image with the table. Check arrow direction, branch labels and the ≥/≤ signs. A correct prompt, caption or figure description does not prove that the picture follows it. The same applies to mechanical drawings: inspect where each leader line ends and whether a hidden connection has been invented.
4. Keep reference signs and short labels consistent
Annex 2 requires reference signs to correspond with the description and, where applicable, the claims; the same principle applies to the abstract and its drawing. Maintain a small working register:
| Sign | German component name | Expected use | Text check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Temperatursensor | Fig. 1 measurement input | Description identifies what is measured |
| 20 | Steuerung | Fig. 1 control block | Description explains comparisons and state retention |
| 30 | Lüfter | Fig. 1 controlled component | Description uses the same identity for on/off actions |
These rows describe a planned teaching example, not reviewed drawings from a real patent. Fill in actual figure and text locations when using the register. A repeated numeral is correct only when it denotes the same component.
Explanatory paragraphs belong in the description. Annex 2 permits indispensable short words and necessary keywords in circuit diagrams, block diagrams and flowcharts. “Temperatur erfassen” or “Zustand beibehalten” may communicate a necessary step; a paragraph claiming energy savings does not belong inside the figure. Keep the complete reference-sign table outside the drawing image.
If a figure illustrates prior art, it needs a real source basis and the required clear “Stand der Technik” identification. Do not convert a generated alternative into a prior-art figure simply by adding that label.
5. Check line quality and reduction
Annex 2 calls for durable black, sufficiently strong, consistent and sharply bounded lines with adequate contrast and no colors. Section hatching must not obscure reference signs or leader lines. The rule is about reproducible technical information; a shaded product rendering is not a substitute for a clear technical view.
At the final sheet size and at two-thirds size, inspect:
- Thin lines, arrowheads and crossing connections: are they distinguishable?
- Labels: can the reader distinguish 1 from 7, 0 from O, and the comparison signs?
- Sections: do hatching and leaders remain separate?
- Figure order: are the views clearly separated and numbered consistently?
- Page edges: did scaling or a caption move any material outside the intended area?
If labels disappear on reduction, revise the source drawing and its placement. Enlarging a low-resolution image cannot recover missing detail. Likewise, clipping a figure to make it fit is not a layout correction.
6. Select the abstract figure deliberately
PatG § 36 addresses the drawing mentioned in the abstract and the selection of the most characteristic drawing where several are mentioned. PatV § 6 places the abstract text and drawing on separate sheets.
Select an existing figure that communicates the disclosed invention. For our teaching system, a block diagram could be a candidate if it matches the completed abstract; it is not automatically the right choice before those documents are prepared. Recheck the selected figure after changing the abstract or the underlying technical account.
7. Inspect the exported set before handoff
Use this issue log on the actual DOCX or extracted drawing files:
| Check | Evidence to record | Example correction request |
|---|---|---|
| Source fidelity | Figure number and conflicting source passage | “Fig. 2 omits the lower-threshold comparison” |
| Part identity | Sign and exact affected views | “Sign 20 points to the fan in Fig. 1; it denotes the controller” |
| Readability | Page and label at final scale | “The ≤ sign is indistinguishable after placement” |
| Sheet layout | Page dimensions and measured issue | “Fig. 2's rightmost label enters the 15 mm margin” |
| Completeness | Expected figures versus exported figures | “Fig. 2 is missing; Fig. 1 was exported twice” |
| Revision | Source revision and export filename | “The export still contains the previous control sequence” |
Open the export after the last change. A successful download alone says nothing about the image content. For formal electronic submission, check the current official file requirements and filing channel; Annex 2 has separate provisions for electronic image formats. A normal DOCX or ZIP download is not a validated DPMAdirekt filing package.
Prepare drawings with the DE workspace
Start a DE drawing project using your technical description and component register. Review the plan, then inspect the generated figures against the actual source and final page layout. Patent Task assists with draft drawings and editable exports; technical and professional review remains necessary.
If the disclosure still needs organizing, start a German patent draft or follow the DE drafting guide first. Selecting DE sets the intended drawing jurisdiction; changing the interface language alone is not a jurisdiction check.
Are DPMA drawing margins the same as description margins?
No. Ordinary drawing sheets have minimum margins of 25 mm top and left, 15 mm right and 10 mm bottom. Description sheets use 25 mm left and 20 mm on the other sides. Use the correct layout for each document part.
Can the flowchart contain German words?
Yes, indispensable short labels and keywords are permitted in the situations described in Annex 2. Keep them concise and technical, and move explanatory prose into the description.
Does an AI-generated figure count as checked?
Generation and review are separate steps. Inspect the actual geometry or logic, sign correspondence, readability and exported placement. A “generated” status or a plausible caption is not evidence that those checks passed.