Provisional Patent Application
What is a Provisional Patent Application?
A well written provisional patent application (PPA) is a great tool when licensing your product Ideas.
Filing a Provisional Patent Application is a very quick and cost-effective way to get your invention filed with the USPTO. Your PPA enables you to establish a priority date for a future patent, and provides you with 12 months of “patent pending” status to fully develop, market, and license your product idea. Once you file your PPA, a 12 month clock starts ticking. If you decide to file a utility patent application, you must do so before the end of the 12 month provisional patent application period. Your Provisional Patent Application will not be examined by the USPTO and does not automatically convert to a non-provisional patent application.
What are the benefits of filing a provisional patent application?
Filing a provisional patent application offers many benefits.
Protect your idea.
It gives you “patent pending” status for one full year, which dissuades others from copying your idea. Now you have the confidence to present your product idea to companies looking for ideas professionally.
Part of the licensing process
Companies would like to see that you have made a commitment to your a product idea by protecting it with a Provisional Patent Application. But in order for your PPA to offer enough value to a company to be licensed, it must be written the right way.
Our track record
We have helped thousands of people file well written provisional patent applications to allow them to get licensing deals.
What sets a well written provisional patent application apart?
1. It clearly states your point of difference compared to similar products on the market and prior patents that have been issued.
2. It includes workarounds and variations that not only protect your invention, but also the innovation.
3. Having lots of drawings that clearly demonstrate the benefits of your invention as well as variations.
Our experience is unparalleled.
We have successfully helped our members secure licensing deals for their product ideas for over two decades. Because of that, we know exactly how a PPA must be written in order to receive a licensing agreement, and also have the potential of becoming a patent once a non-provisional patent application is filed after one year.
What is a non-provisional patent application?
Many of our members never end up filing a non-provisional patent application, because the vast majority receive a licensing agreement using only a well-written provisional patent application. After you file a PPA, you have one year to decide if you want to convert it into a non-provisional patent application. (You can also decide to re-file your PPA, or file a new PPA, depending on the actions you have taken during that year.)
If, after overcoming office actions, your non-provisional patent application is granted, you will now receive a patent. (The average length of time it takes the USPTO to issue a patent today is 23 months.)
A non-provisional patent application is the only type of patent application that will result in the issuance of utility patent. Your provisional patent application acts as a placeholder, allowing you to claim an earlier filing date while you gain “patent pending” status for your invention.
If, after overcoming office actions, your non-provisional patent application is granted, you will now receive a patent. (The average length of time it takes the USPTO to issue a patent today is 23 months.)
A non-provisional patent application is the only type of patent application that will result in the issuance of utility patent. Your provisional patent application acts as a placeholder, allowing you to claim an earlier filing date while you gain “patent pending” status for your invention.