How to Apply for a Patent

Patent prosecution (patent procurement) denotes the filing of patent applications with a patent office and the ensuing actions carried out for the procurement of letters patent based on the patent application.

To prepare and file a patent with the United States Patent Office (USPTO) you may either ready the patent application yourself or hire a patent attorney to help you with patent filing of the patent or trademark application. The last stage of the patent process is the patent letter sent to the US patent office for patent registration, so take careful measures that you or your patent lawyer have conducted thorough patent search before the patent application is turned in. Read our "How to Obtain a Patent" page to find out about the initial stages of the patent application process.

In deciding how to apply for a patent, your patent agent may suggest that you obtain a provisional patent to expedite the patent process. A provisional patent incurs patent pending status. A patent fee is about $80 (or around $160 for large companies) plus the additional patent attorney fee which can reach the upper thousands.