by beconrad
Whether you are an inventor wondering how to patent an idea, an entrepreneur ready to patent an idea or a business owner looking for the intellectual property protection a patent can provide, you probably have a lot of questions. While the U.S. Patent Office strives to be user friendly and transparent, the process of getting a patent or registered trademark can be complicated, lengthy and difficult.
The road from asking how to patent an idea to actually getting patent pending status can be long and arduous, but that does not mean you should not go down it. Whether you are a business owner, an entrepreneur or an inventor, your intellectual property is one of the most valuable assets you own. Without the right protection, the value of that intellectual property drops precipitously, leaving you and your idea at risk.
What is a Provisional Patent?
If you have been asking how to patent an idea or inquiring about how to patent an idea, it is important to do your homework, starting with the various terms used in the patent and trademark industries. There are significant differences between a registered trademark, a copyright, patent pending status and a provisional patent, and understanding the distinctions is very important.
So just what is a provision patent, and why is it so important? You may already know that a provisional patent can help you protect your intellectual property, but how does that patent pending status work and what specific protections does it provide?
In simple terms, a provisional patent is a legal document that is filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, also known as the USPTO. When the application for the provisional patent is filed, that document establishes the filing date, but the provisional patent alone does not provide full intellectual property protection.
What Does a Provisional Patent Do?
As stated previously, the filing of a provisional patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office establishes the date of filing, which does provide some important protections for your idea or invention. If you are wondering how to patent an invention, filing for the protection of a provisional patent is certainly a good place to start. You may not get full patent or patent pending protection, but you will establish a baseline, and a date, for your initial filing.
It is important to understand that filing for a provisional patent is not enough, and it is important that you, or your patent attorney, follow up on this vital first step. In order to obtain full intellectual property protection, you will need to follow up with a regular application for a nonprovisional patent.
What Protections Does a Provisional Patent Provide?
Filing for a provisional patent does provide some important protections, but it comes with some serious limitations. One of the most important things the provisional patent does is establish a timeline for your patent application. The timeline is important, especially if you are wondering how to patent an idea that someone else may later claim as their intellectual property. If it is just your word against theirs, it will be up to the courts to decide how to get a patent and which party deserves that protection.
With the provisional patent application in place, it will be much clearer who owns the intellectual property and which inventor had the idea first. This protection alone makes a provisional patent application more than worthwhile.
Why Do I Need a Provisional Patent?
There are plenty of reasons why an inventor, business owner or entrepreneur would seek out the intellectual property protection of a provisional patent. Every situation is different, and every inventor or businessperson will need to determine the appropriate level of protection for their idea or creation.
If you are an entrepreneur wondering how to patent an idea, seeking a provisional patent application can help you answer your questions and start the process of protecting yourself and your idea. It is important to work with an experienced patent attorney at this stage, since there can be a number of difficulties and complications often arise.
If you are wondering how to patent an idea, you can use the intellectual property protection of a provisional patent to establish the initial timeline and safeguard your idea as the patent pending process moves forward. As stated previously, simply filing the application for a provisional patent is not enough, and you will still need to move through the patent pending and full patent process. Even so, the initial protection is important enough to make a provisional patent application worthwhile.
No matter what the situation, it is important to work with a patent attorney or other patent professional as you move forward through the process. An experienced patent attorney will know what it takes to get a provisional patent, and what is needed to move forward with the rest of the process. There are some steps you can handle on your own, but it is always good to seek the advice and guidance of an experienced professional when the patent application process starts to get complicated.
How Do I Get a Provisional Patent?
If you have been wondering how to patent an idea or how to get a patent, it is important to follow the right steps. It does not matter if you are seeking a registered trademark, patent pending status or the intellectual property protection of a provisional patent application – if you do not follow the proper steps, your application could be denied.
This application denial could be costly, especially if other inventors and entrepreneurs are working in your field. No matter how good you are or how original you think your idea or invention is, if someone else beats you to the punch, you will not be able to obtain the patent pending status or provisional patent protection you need, and you will need to go back to the drawing board and await your next great inspiration.
The good news is that the process of applying for a provisional patent is not all that complicated. While it is always a good idea to seek the advice and guidance of an experienced patent attorney, some entrepreneurs and inventors have been able to take these steps on their own.
The first step toward a provisional patent application is a visit to the website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A quick web search is all you need here, and once you land on the site, you can get questions like how to patent an idea, how to get a patent and hot to patent an invention answered.
The address of the United States Patent and Trademark Office is a simple one – uspto.gov. Once there, you can find a wealth of information, not only about the provisional patent idea but about all other steps of the patent and patent pending process as well.
Once you are finished reading the documentation about patent pending status and the provisional patent application, the next step is to navigate to the proper link on the uspto.org website. Just click on the file online link to begin the application process – the first step in getting the provisional patent protection you need to safeguard your invention or idea.
Chances are you will not have a current registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, so you will need to register before you can complete the provisional patent application. In order to register on the uspto.gov website, you will need to provide some basic information, including your first and last name and your email address.
Once you are registered on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, you can begin to complete the application for a provisional patent. That application is pretty straightforward, but it is still important to take your time and read the instructions carefully. It is better to take a bit of extra time to complete your provisional patent application than to have the patent application denied for a simple oversight.
If you have any questions about the application for a provisional patent, it is a good idea to ask an experienced patent attorney. While the United States Patent and Trademark Office tries to make the patent application process as simple as possible, the application for a provisional patent can still be intimidating – especially for a first time filer.
By working with an experienced patent attorney, you can simplify the process of getting a provisional patent. More importantly, you can improve the odds that your provisional patent application, and eventually your finished patent, will be approved without a hitch.
Whether you are a first time inventor asking how to patent an idea, a serial entrepreneur seeking intellectual property protection for your newest invention or a business owner trying to safeguard what you own, filing for a provisional patent makes a lot of sense. While the application for a provisional patent is not the end of the road, it is an important first step – one that can safeguard your intellectual property and give you the protection you need as you move forward.