What is a patent application?
An inventor (or his or her representative) must file a nonprovisional patent application (either on paper or electronically) as prescribed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in order to have an invention reviewed for patentability (and other formalities) and receive a patent. A complete nonprovisional application contains a specification, an oath or declaration, drawings, when necessary, and filing fees. A provisional application is filed for the purpose of establishing a priority date. A complete provisional application contains a cover sheet, a specification, drawings, when necessary, and a filing fee.
