Discover how a Provisional Patent Application protects your invention with the "patent pending" label and learn about its benefits, limitations, and filing process with the USPTO.

Provisional patent applications offer a relatively inexpensive way for applicants to secure an early filing date for potentially patentable subject matter. They also provide a one-year window during ...

Filing a provisional patent application was introduced into U.S. patent law in 1994. The ability to file a provisional application was widely applauded at the time and filing provisional applications ...

As mentioned in past columns, one indicia of the likelihood of success of your venture is demonstrably strong intellectual property protection. You are much more likely to interest an investor if you ...

As part of the effort to harmonize global patent systems, the United States introduced the provisional patent application in 1995 as part of the GATT Uruguay Round agreement. The provisional patent ...

Jeffrey Proehl is a registered patent attorney with Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith P.C. in Sioux Falls. Inventors often have questions about the difference between filing a “provisional” and a ...

I think inventors should try writing their own provisional patent applications, even if they end up hiring a patent attorney to write the final version. Why? Because committing your thoughts to paper ...

I am a big fan of inventors using provisional applications as a first step toward obtaining a utility patent. Indeed, provisional patent applications provide many benefits. Provisional applications ...

Speed to market is paramount today. Whether you are a creative person, inventor, entrepreneur, startup, medium-sized enterprise, or Fortune 500 company, there’s no doubt that filing intellectual ...

I am a big fan of provisional patent applications, and they can be a very useful tool, but only when they are done right. When provisional patent applications are done poorly you not only don’t get ...