Provisional vs. Non-Provisional Patent Application

Every new bee entering into the legal world for some work goes through legal terminologies that might be confusing. Similarly, if you are a new investor or new to filing a patent application, you must have gone through the terms provisional patent application or non-provisional patent application. Well, there are many reasons why one may have excited you over the other. You might be wondering which type of patent application is right for your patent application. If yes, then continue with this article, and by the end of this article, all your doubts will rest in peace. 

Let’s start with an explosion just in case you did not know about it that provisional and non-provision patent applications are just two processes of a patent application and not two different types actually. What it means is that you do not have the option to choose between the two, but it just depends on which step of your patent application you are at present. Oh, sorry! the suspense is already ruined. Not actually, there are a lot of fundamental differences between the two that you need to understand in order to pay homage to your doubts.

Provisional Patent Application

Suppose you got an idea, and you proceeded with the idea towards your invention. At a certain point, you got the clarity that it can turn into something big, or it can be a real invention that you would like to patent. You figure out that it will take a few months to reach your final inventions, and you want to file an application in the patent office on behalf of the progress made so far. It might help you get some extra time down the line for the future, and when you complete the invention, the application can work faster. So, to file such patents based on the progress you have made and take some more time to reach the final product, you can file a provisional patent application. 

Once you file the provisional patent application, you will get a time frame of a year to submit the final patent application. Filing a provisional patent application is not that difficult and is less expensive too. You can easily get away with the complete application process in a few hundred dollars. In case of a provisional patent application, you can submit an informal patent drawing to give a rough idea of your invention. If your patent drawing does not match in the final patent application, the whole point of filing the provisional patent application will go in vain. You can consider getting professional help for the informal patent drawings as they are not that expensive either. Feel free to contact the Patent Drawing Experts for affordable patent drawings from the real experts who know every minor detail they need to take care of. 

Non-provisional Patent Application

The non-provisional patent application is filled once you are ready with the final invention. It is a much more complex process compared to a provisional patent application. It requires more effort, money, and precision to get approved. The non-provisional patent applications are examined by patent examiners who check every fine detail of the application before approving your application. In this case, you need to send formal patent drawings that need to follow even the smallest of the details that the USPTO or the respective patent offices have suggested. Even if you miss out on just a single small point, your application will be rejected and will also cost you extra to submit the drawings next time. 

You should consider contacting professional IP attorneys and a professional firm like the Patent Drawing Experts for patent drawing in this case. They will not only make sure to make drawings that comply with the guidelines set by the patent office, but they will also end up saving you a lot of money that you need to spend in case of a rejection. Non-provisional applications are filled after a provisional patent application, but you do not necessarily need a provisional patent application, and that is completely your choice. 

Which one should you file?

You already know that, right? The filing of a patent entirely depends on the stage of patent application you are at. You can file the provisional patent application in case you need some time to file the final patent application. It will not allow you some extra time, but it will also save time when you file the non-provisional patent application. You can always feel free to contact us for any query related to patent applications or drawings, and we will be more than happy to help you with your doubts.