diff --git a/dist/hypermedia.js b/dist/hypermedia.js
index c7ff0d6..6a029e7 100644
--- a/dist/hypermedia.js
+++ b/dist/hypermedia.js
@@ -197,6 +197,28 @@ angular.module('hypermedia')
         });
       }},
 
+      /**
+       * Perform a HTTP PATCH request.
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @param {Resource} resource
+       * @returns a promise that is resolved to the resource
+       * @see Resource#$patchRequest
+       */
+      httpPatch: {value: function (resource, data) {
+        var self = this;
+        busyRequests += 1;
+        var request = updateHttp(resource.$patchRequest(data));
+        return $http(request).then(function () {
+          Resource.prototype.$merge.call(resource, request.data);
+          return self.markSynced(resource, Date.now());
+        }).then(function () {
+          return resource;
+        }).finally(function () {
+          busyRequests -= 1;
+        });
+      }},
+
       /**
        * Perform a HTTP DELETE request and unmark the resource as synchronized.
        *
@@ -723,6 +745,31 @@ angular.module('hypermedia')
         return this.$context.httpPut(this);
       }},
 
+      /**
+       * Create a $http PATCH request configuration object.
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @returns {object}
+       */
+      $patchRequest: {value: function (data) {
+        return {
+          method: 'patch',
+          url: this.$uri,
+          data: data,
+          headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'}
+        };
+      }},
+
+      /**
+       * Perform an HTTP PATCH request with the resource state.
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @returns a promise that is resolved to the resource
+       */
+      $patch: {value: function () {
+        return this.$context.httpPatch(this);
+      }},
+
       /**
        * Create a $http DELETE request configuration object.
        *
@@ -812,6 +859,27 @@ angular.module('hypermedia')
         if (profileUris) this.$profile = profileUris;
 
         return this;
+      }},
+
+      /**
+       * Merges the resource with new data following algorithm defined
+       * in JSON Merge Patch specification (Rfc 7386, https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7386).
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @param {object} data
+       * @param {object} [links]
+       * @returns the resource
+       */
+      $merge: {value: function (data){
+        var self = this;
+        Object.keys(data).forEach(function(key){
+          if (data[key] === null) {
+            delete self[key];
+          } else {
+            self[key] = data[key];
+          }
+          return self;
+        });
       }}
     });
 
diff --git a/gulpfile.js b/gulpfile.js
index b874cd1..4c24699 100644
--- a/gulpfile.js
+++ b/gulpfile.js
@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@ var gulp = require('gulp'),
   batch  = require('gulp-batch'),
   concat = require('gulp-concat'),
   ignore = require('gulp-ignore'),
+  jshint = require('gulp-jshint'),
   watch  = require('gulp-watch'),
   path   = require('path');
 
 var dist = 'dist/hypermedia.js';
 
-gulp.task('default', function(){
+gulp.task('default', ['jshint'], function(){
   var distDir = path.dirname(dist);
   return gulp.src('src/*.js')
     .pipe(ignore.exclude('*.spec.js'))
@@ -23,3 +24,10 @@ gulp.task('watch', function () {
     gulp.start('default', done);
   }));
 });
+
+gulp.task('jshint', function () {
+  return gulp.src(['src/*.js'])
+    .pipe(jshint('./.jshintrc'))
+    .pipe(jshint.reporter('jshint-stylish'))
+    .pipe(jshint.reporter('fail'));
+});
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2a2874d..c5f9a2e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -10,12 +10,16 @@
     "gulp": "^3.9",
     "gulp-batch": "^1.0",
     "gulp-concat": "^2.6",
+    "gulp-if": "^2.0.0",
     "gulp-ignore": "^1.2",
+    "gulp-jshint": "^1.11.2",
     "gulp-watch": "^4.3",
+    "jasmine-core": "^2.3.4",
     "jshint": "^2.8",
+    "jshint-stylish": "^2.0.1",
     "karma": "^0.13",
     "karma-coverage": "^0.4",
-    "karma-jasmine": "^0.3",
+    "karma-jasmine": "^0.3.6",
     "karma-phantomjs-launcher": "^0.2"
   },
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/src/context.js b/src/context.js
index 7a0379c..711355a 100644
--- a/src/context.js
+++ b/src/context.js
@@ -110,6 +110,28 @@ angular.module('hypermedia')
         });
       }},
 
+      /**
+       * Perform a HTTP PATCH request.
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @param {Resource} resource
+       * @returns a promise that is resolved to the resource
+       * @see Resource#$patchRequest
+       */
+      httpPatch: {value: function (resource, data) {
+        var self = this;
+        busyRequests += 1;
+        var request = updateHttp(resource.$patchRequest(data));
+        return $http(request).then(function () {
+          Resource.prototype.$merge.call(resource, request.data);
+          return self.markSynced(resource, Date.now());
+        }).then(function () {
+          return resource;
+        }).finally(function () {
+          busyRequests -= 1;
+        });
+      }},
+
       /**
        * Perform a HTTP DELETE request and unmark the resource as synchronized.
        *
diff --git a/src/context.spec.js b/src/context.spec.js
index e97683a..c3abe20 100644
--- a/src/context.spec.js
+++ b/src/context.spec.js
@@ -75,6 +75,18 @@ describe('ResourceContext', function () {
     expect(resource.$syncTime / 10).toBeCloseTo(Date.now() / 10, 0);
   });
 
+  it('performs HTTP PATCH requests', function () {
+    var promiseResult = null;
+    var data = {};
+    context.httpPatch(resource, data).then(function (result) { promiseResult = result; });
+    $httpBackend.expectPATCH(resource.$uri, data,
+          {'Accept': 'application/json, text/plain, */*', 'Content-Type': 'application/merge-patch+json'})
+        .respond(204);
+    $httpBackend.flush();
+    expect(promiseResult).toBe(resource);
+    expect(resource.$syncTime / 10).toBeCloseTo(Date.now() / 10, 0);
+  });
+
   it('performs HTTP DELETE requests', function () {
     var promiseResult = null;
     resource.$syncTime = 1;
diff --git a/src/resource.js b/src/resource.js
index e83c530..53956bd 100644
--- a/src/resource.js
+++ b/src/resource.js
@@ -308,6 +308,31 @@ angular.module('hypermedia')
         return this.$context.httpPut(this);
       }},
 
+      /**
+       * Create a $http PATCH request configuration object.
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @returns {object}
+       */
+      $patchRequest: {value: function (data) {
+        return {
+          method: 'patch',
+          url: this.$uri,
+          data: data,
+          headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/merge-patch+json'}
+        };
+      }},
+
+      /**
+       * Perform an HTTP PATCH request with the resource state.
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @returns a promise that is resolved to the resource
+       */
+      $patch: {value: function () {
+        return this.$context.httpPatch(this);
+      }},
+
       /**
        * Create a $http DELETE request configuration object.
        *
@@ -397,6 +422,40 @@ angular.module('hypermedia')
         if (profileUris) this.$profile = profileUris;
 
         return this;
+      }},
+
+      /**
+       * Merges the resource with new data following algorithm defined
+       * in JSON Merge Patch specification (Rfc 7386, https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7386).
+       *
+       * @function
+       * @param {object} data
+       * @param {object} [links]
+       * @returns the resource
+       */
+      $merge: {value: function (data){
+        var mergePatch = function(target, patch){
+          if (!angular.isObject(patch) || patch === null || Array.isArray(patch)) {
+            return patch;
+          }
+
+          if (!angular.isObject(target) || target === null || Array.isArray(target)) {
+            target = {};
+          }
+
+          Object.keys(patch).forEach(function (key) {
+            var value = patch[key];
+            if (value === null) {
+              delete target[key];
+            } else {
+              target[key] = mergePatch(target[key], value);
+            }
+          });
+
+          return target;
+        };
+
+        return mergePatch(this, data);
       }}
     });
 
diff --git a/src/resource.spec.js b/src/resource.spec.js
index 9802336..7ba584c 100644
--- a/src/resource.spec.js
+++ b/src/resource.spec.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ describe('Resource', function () {
     $q = _$q_;
     $rootScope = _$rootScope_;
     Resource = _Resource_;
-    mockContext = jasmine.createSpyObj('mockContext', ['get', 'httpGet', 'httpPut', 'httpDelete', 'httpPost']);
+    mockContext = jasmine.createSpyObj('mockContext', ['get', 'httpGet', 'httpPut', 'httpDelete', 'httpPost', 'httpPatch']);
     uri = 'http://example.com';
     resource = new Resource(uri, mockContext);
   }));
@@ -283,6 +283,21 @@ describe('Resource', function () {
     expect(mockContext.httpPut).toHaveBeenCalledWith(resource);
   });
 
+  it('creates HTTP PATCH request', function () {
+    var data = {};
+    expect(resource.$patchRequest(data)).toEqual({
+      method: 'patch',
+      url: 'http://example.com',
+      data: data,
+      headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/merge-patch+json'}
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('delegates HTTP PATCH request to the context', function () {
+    resource.$patch();
+    expect(mockContext.httpPatch).toHaveBeenCalledWith(resource);
+  });
+
   it('creates HTTP DELETE request', function () {
     expect(resource.$deleteRequest()).toEqual({
       method: 'delete',
@@ -317,9 +332,9 @@ describe('Resource', function () {
   // Updates
 
   it('updates state, links and profile', function () {
-    resource.oldVar = 'test';
+    resource.aVar = 'test';
     resource.$update({foo: 'bar'}, {profile: {href: 'http://example.com/profile'}});
-    expect(resource.oldVar).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resource.aVar).toBeUndefined();
     expect(resource.foo).toBe('bar');
     expect(resource.$links).toEqual({profile: {href: 'http://example.com/profile'}});
     expect(resource.$profile).toBe('http://example.com/profile');
@@ -331,4 +346,33 @@ describe('Resource', function () {
       resource.$update({foo: 'qux'}, {self: {href: 'http://example.com/other'}});
     }).toThrowError('Self link href differs: expected "http://example.com", was "http://example.com/other"');
   });
+
+  // Merges
+
+  it('merges state', function () {
+    resource.aVar = 'foo';
+    resource.bVar = 'joe';
+    resource.$merge({aVar: null, bVar: 'john', newVar: 'bar'});
+
+    expect(resource.aVar).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resource.bVar).toBe('john');
+    expect(resource.newVar).toBe('bar');
+  });
+
+  it('merges nested state', function () {
+    resource.nested = {
+      aVar: 'foo',
+      bVar: 'joe'
+    };
+    resource.$merge({nested: {
+      aVar: null,
+      bVar: 'john',
+      newVar: 'bar'
+    }});
+
+    expect(resource.nested.aVar).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(resource.nested.bVar).toBe('john');
+    expect(resource.nested.newVar).toBe('bar');
+  });
+
 });