What is a Provisional Patent application?  How to register a Patent?

A Provisional Application for a patent is a temporary US patent application that lasts for a year. Patents allow inventors “to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States.” Once filed, you are Patent Pending and free to disclose, market, and sell your invention during this time period. Provisional Patent applications must be drafted properly to provide the inventor with an application priority date and “patent pending” status. Note: A Provisional Patent application must be converted to a non-provisional application within one year of the filing date to maintain priority.

Fill Out Forms

Now what? Complete the Inventor Start Kit forms Inventor Start sent to you. If you run in to any trouble or confusion, we’re on stand-by to assist you.

Engage Lawyer

Engage an Inventor Start® referral Patent Lawyer to protect your Invention with a Provisional Patent. Clients using Inventor Start's patent lawyer referrals must communicate directly with the independent patent attorney regarding all questions of a legal nature.

The Deliverable

From there, a Patent Attorney will send you a draft Provisional Patent application to review. Once approved by you, it’s filed as a Provisional Patent, the Patent Attorney will send you a Patent Pending copy of your Patent Application and a US Patent Office filing receipt. 

Just like that, you are Patent Pending!