Quick patent

Need a patent quickly? A patent you can file within an hour or two? Want a patent number within one business day? Your best option is a Provisional Patent.

Why file a provisional patent?

A provisional patent is easy, quick and cheap to file.

• You don’t need a patent attorney to draft the patent.
• You don’t need formal patent drawings.
• You can continue to develop your invention for the next 12 months.
• You can prepare and file the application yourself.

How do I draft the provisional patent specification?

The quickest and easiest way to draft a provisional patent is using AI. See our examples on how to use AI to draft a provisional patent for free:

• Example on how to draft a software patent;
• Example on how to draft a patent for a physical product (ring with a teflon inner coating);
• Example on how to draft a patent for a mechanical product (barbecue tongs with a torch).

Google’s Nano Banana is useful for preparing patent drawings.

How do I file a provisional patent?

Most inventors choose to file provisional patents using the GlobalIPCo online patent filing system – one of the largest filers of patents worldwide. The total cost is only $49.

The GlobalIPCo system creates the forms for signature and files the provisional patent. It will send you a provisional patent number and filing receipt within a business day of filing.

There are no additional costs apart from the $49 filing fee.

Will my provisional patent remain secret?

Yes, your provisional patent will be kept secret by GlobalIPCo and by the Patent Office. Only you can publicly disclose your invention, e.g. by:

• publishing it / disclosing it publicly; or
• filing a complete patent within 12 months of filing your provisional patent.

If you have not disclosed your invention publicly within the 12 month period following filing the provisional patent, you can simply restart the process by filing another provisional patent.

What right does the provisional patent give me?

The provisional patent gives you the right to file a complete patent within the next 12 months that claims priority from the provisional patent. What this means is that the validity (i.e. the “newness” and “inventiveness” of your complete patent) is tested from the date of filing your provisional patent. So, any disclosure by you or others after the date of filing your provisional patent will not impact the validity of your complete patent.

If after 12 months, you do not file a complete patent, your provisional patent will expire – as if it had never been filed.

What should I do after filing the provisional patent?

After filing the provisional patent, you can develop your invention further. We suggest doing so under confidentiality undertakings. We highly recommend the Free Iptica NDA.

By the end of the 12 month period, you need to decide whether to:

• crystallise the patent by filing a complete patent; or
• restart the process by filing another provisional patent (provided that your invention is still secret, i.e. any disclosures you made were under an NDA).

Should you decide to file a complete patent, we suggest engaging a patent attorney to draft the patent specification. Should you wish to secure patent rights in a few countries, the best option is to file a PCT patent.