Patents

A provisional patent application lasts exactly 12 months from the day you file it, and that deadline cannot be extended

Provisional Patent Yes, you can sell an invention while you hold a provisional patent application. There is no law that

Information No, not in any meaningful sense. Once a provisional patent application is filed, the USPTO does not allow substantive

Patent Attorney No, you don’t legally need a patent attorney to file a provisional patent application. The USPTO accepts filings

Patent Yourself Yes. You’re allowed to file a provisional patent application on your own, without a patent attorney or agent

Intro A provisional patent application can include a written description of your invention, drawings that help explain it, and any

Provisional Patent Cost A provisional patent application costs $325 in USPTO filing fees if you’re a large entity, $130 if

How to File a Provisional Patent You file a provisional patent by sending the USPTO a written description of your

Provisional vs Nonprovisional Patent The short answer: a provisional patent application is a cheap, informal placeholder that locks in a

So you filed a provisional patent, or you’re about to, and now you’re wondering what the clock actually looks like.