Turning Ideas Into Patents

____Provisional Costs___

Provisional Applications -  Estimated Time Line and Costs A provisional application is not a patent but is a patent application. The filing fee is currently $105 for a small entity. A provisional application is a utility patent application without claims. The application gives the inventor 1 year for the filing date to file a utility application or the provisional application dies. The inventor can use the term “patent pending” during this one-year period. A provisional application allows the inventor to test and refine the product while maintaining prior date if filing.  To place a typical provisional application on file, the cost will be around $3,000 to $3,500 depending upon the complexity of the application. It normally takes about 60 days to have the application “Patent Pending”. The schedule below provides an estimate of the entire process from initial consultation until the application expires1 year after it was filled or is being replaced with a utility patent application.

Cost    $2,000 $1,500 _______ $3,500

Provisional Patent Description of Event                                                            1. Meeting with client. Product disclosed. Retainer Paid 2. Application written and sent to client will billing 3. Application returned with signatures and payment 4. Application mailed to PTO 5. Application "Pending" copies sent to client 6. Notice provisional patent will expire sent to client 7. Provisional dies unless replaced with Utility Application                                                                                   Budgetary Cost

Time Est. Day 0 Day 45 Day 50 Day 55 Day 60 Month 10 1 year