How to file for a provisional patent application?

by **atworth49** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:12 pm

please make it as detail as you can, on how i am to go about filing for a provisional patent.
do i need a lawyer?
do i need more than a few hundred dollars?
how long does it take to get a reply on weather you are qualified for receiving a provisional patent application?
how do i find out if my idea is original..because i would rather know than to pay and find out later..
thanks

by **lazaro94** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:13 pm

Alex:

I would add to the answers by Ray as follows:

1. Do I need a lawyer? - No, but it does not hurt.. Also, Check out this website http://provisionalpatentvideo.com/ Knowing what this website gives will save you many hours of hassle! Also, go to YouTube and search Provisional Patent Video and stuff like that. You might be able to glean all you need but will take lots of time doing it. Just take lots of notes and you should do just fine!

2. Do I need more than a few hundred dollars? - If you prepare the application yourself, the only charge will be the Patent Office filing fee, currently $110. If you elect to get help with something like the Provisional Patent Video Course, or the likes of something like that then you have to add that cost. They are less than $50 typically..

3. How long does it take to get a reply on weather you are qualified for receiving a provisional patent application? - When you file it online as described above you get your confirmation number within seconds. I STRONGLY suggest you NEVER do paper filing. It takes FOREVER and costs more and it a pain in the rear!

4. How do I find out if my idea is original..because I would rather know than to pay and find out later - Yes, you MUST do this! The Patent Office has a hard to use search tool here...
http://1.usa.gov/USPTO-QuickPatentSearch
and Google has an easier one here but it is not complete at all compared to the USPTO...
http://bit.ly/GooglePatentsKorpi

What you do on both of them is type in a name of what it is you are making. If you are making bicycle tires with improved tread then type that in. Then, you have to look at SIMILAR things and then find the art and go that way.. Kind of a lot of work...

For the top 10 reasons to file a PPA see the second video on this blog...
http://www.filepatentapplications.com/blog/

I would have sent you this privately but your profile does not have an email. If you like this answer please vote for it by golly!

Thanks,

Dave Korpi

by **ned** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:18 pm

1. do i need a lawyer? - No. Check out the website of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/inventors/iac/index.jsp.
2. do i need more than a few hundred dollars? - If you prepare the application yourself, the only charge will be the Patent Office filing fee, currently $110.
3. how long does it take to get a reply on weather you are qualified for receiving a provisional patent application? - You will receive a receipt in the mail and it should arrive within 30 - 45 days. A provisional patent application filing doesn't get you a patent. It buys you one year to (1) save or obtain the money to file a non-provisional application and (2) search for prior art (previous patents, articles, papers, etc that are relevant to your invention).
4. how do i find out if my idea is original..because i would rather know than to pay and find out later - Good thinking. The Patent Office has a nice search tool and so does Google.

Good Luck!

Ray Meiers
http://www.ipatt.com/

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