Legal Definitions - provisional patent application

PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION

A provisional patent application is a type of patent application that allows an inventor to establish an early filing date for their invention. It is a temporary application that provides a year of protection while the inventor works on their invention and decides whether to file a non-provisional patent application.

Example 1: John invents a new type of bicycle wheel and wants to protect his invention. He files a provisional patent application to establish an early filing date and has one year to decide whether to file a non-provisional patent application.

Example 2: Sarah creates a new software program and wants to protect her invention. She files a provisional patent application to establish an early filing date and has one year to decide whether to file a non-provisional patent application.

A provisional patent application is a way for inventors to establish an early filing date for their invention without having to file a complete non-provisional patent application. This allows them to have a year of protection while they work on their invention and decide whether to pursue a full patent. The examples illustrate how inventors in different fields can use provisional patent applications to protect their inventions.