8 votes
Accepted

How important are claims in provisional patents

There is no requirement for claims Provisional applications are not examined, and therefore have no formality requirements. As long as they are validly filed, it doesn't matter precisely what format ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
6 votes
Accepted

Repatenting someone else's dropped provisionals

The answer to this turns on 35 USC § 102(a), which reads: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless— (1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
4 votes

Get the same patent in multiple countries

This is why the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) exists. A patent application filed as PCT may be filed in other member states. There is a good overview of PCT filing here, and more authoritative ...
Parker's user avatar
  • 1,753
4 votes

Repatenting someone else's dropped provisionals

Why does it puzzle you? If it is not available to the public, it is not prior art. I think relevant US provision is here (MPEP 901.02) https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s901.html#...
chempatent1981's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Two aspects of the same invention and one aspect is not unique

So here we have a tidy distinction between description and claims. Description You must provide a description sufficiently detailed that the skilled person, reading your description, would understand ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
4 votes
Accepted

How many drawings can a patent have?

The USPTO imposes an additional fee beyond the provisional filing fee for each 50 sheets beyond 100 sheets (pages) for a provisional patent application. That fee ranges from $100 for a micro entity, $...
Patent Pending Guide's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

Why do patent description contains serial numbers like [0001], [0002] etc?

These are paragraph numbers. They are considered good practice to include since they aid referencing portions of the description, but are not mandatory. They are described in a extremely detailed ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
4 votes
Accepted

Multiple inventions in US provisional patent, inventors in split application?

Once any non-provisional application that claims priority from a provisional is published or granted, that provisional is open for public inspection. So yes to question 1. The provisional itself is ...
George White's user avatar
  • 28.5k
3 votes
Accepted

Is it possible to obtain a patent on a technology I am already selling?

As far as I know, this scenario is not well-settled law in the U.S. Prior to the changes to patent law introduced by AIA, any patent would almost certainly have been invalid if secret commercial use ...
Atsby's user avatar
  • 1,031
3 votes

PCT Application

The PCT Applicant's Guide (National Phase) is the resource you are looking for. It contains a detailed guide on the WIPO Rules and Articles from the Applicant's perspective, and covers the time limits ...
Kimmy W.'s user avatar
  • 312
3 votes

How important are claims in provisional patents

I think, very. As noted in the other answer, there is (probably) no legal requirement for claims. However, the whole purpose of the provisional filing is to give you a date for the invention. If you ...
tilnow's user avatar
  • 309
3 votes
Accepted

When exactly do you lose the provisionals priority?

The rule on this is quite tidily stated at MPEP § 211.05(I)(A) (which I hope will suffice as a legal reference of some nature): [F]or a claim in a later filed nonprovisional application to be ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
3 votes
Accepted

Does a provisional patent have to be filed through USPTO?

I am wondering if there is any legal backing for a idea that was written in a document and stored on a local file system No, especially now that the US is in a first-inventor-to-file regime. ...
George White's user avatar
  • 28.5k
3 votes

Are Provisional Applications ever denied filing dates?

I know an inventor who didn't get a filing date because the entire body of the short amount of text in the application was labeled something like "Summary" or "Overview". Another did get a filing ...
George White's user avatar
  • 28.5k
3 votes
Accepted

Separate or single provisional patent application/s for an algorithm and presentation

As @EricS mentioned, the word algorithm will trigger the word "abstract" which is hard to get around once it is invoked. It doesn't really matter if it is one or two provisional applications ...
George White's user avatar
  • 28.5k
3 votes
Accepted

Most countries require that patent applications be filed before public disclosure of an invention: does it include US provisional patent applications?

Absolutely - that is the main reason provisional applications were created. When the US signed the treaty that changed term from 17 years after grant to 20 years after filing the US saw that a person ...
George White's user avatar
  • 28.5k
2 votes
Accepted

Public Disclosure After Provisional Filing

My impression of the PPA is that you can try to commercialize what's in it without inhibiting your chances of filing for a non-provisional one before your 12 months are up. I am not entirely sure, but ...
ADO's user avatar
  • 136
2 votes

If I file a provisional patent application, could someone else file a PCT application for the same invention during the first 12 months?

My question is: if I file a provisional patent application in the USA, what's stopping someone from scooping it up and going international before I'm able to file a PCT? If so, in the first 12 months ...
peanuts's user avatar
  • 76
2 votes
Accepted

Am I reading this right? -- the cost for a provisional patent application

The fees you are quoting in the question are for a NON-PROVISIONAL patent application. As people discussed, the micro entity fees for a provisional would be $65.00. However, provisional patent ...
Dylan O. Adams's user avatar
2 votes

Am I reading this right? -- the cost for a provisional patent application

There's no such thing as a provisional PATENT, only a provisional patent application. It is never examined so the search/etc. fees aren't calculated and I don't think you even need to have claims, ...
inventurous's user avatar
2 votes

How do I collaborate with a company who may have a provisional on my idea?

I think that the best procedure would be the following one : 1) Fill a provisory patent with your idea and much as detail as possible 2) Offer the company to set a bilateral NDA between you and them ...
Nidupb's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes
Accepted

Will claiming priority from provisional patent reveal it?

Will claiming priority from a provisional reveal it to public? Yes. A provisional application is never itself published (37 CFR 1.211(b)). However, a provisional application becomes part of the file ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
2 votes
Accepted

is a provisional utility patent the way I need to go?

Is a provisional utility patent the way I need to go? Possibly, but not for the reasons you suggest. A good provisional does not take less time than a non-provisional, as the drafting process is ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
2 votes

Writing my provisional patent application for my app, I have a question

At first blush, US 9083821 that you referred to seems to be a very good example of a software patent. I will therefore discuss a little about the patent and how it relates to the invention–...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
2 votes
Accepted

When is the right time to apply for my provisional patent

You should absolutely file a patent application before releasing your product. If you release your product first, then the product becomes prior art. This will prevent you receiving a patent (but for ...
Maca's user avatar
  • 6,178
2 votes
Accepted

File Provisional Application without some implementation details

It's a tough question to answer because it can depend on the particular facts of your invention. The application must describe the invention with enough detail that a software developer with an ...
jdpatent's user avatar
  • 237

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible