As stated on the USPTO website, "A provisional patent application allows you to file without a formal patent claim, oath or declaration, or any information disclosure (prior art) statement." Since the U.S. patent system is sometimes called a 'first to file' (or 'first to publish') system, some inventors choose to file a provisional patent application in order to establish an earlier filing date. While a provisional application does not require the same level of disclosure as a non-provisional application, it is important for inventors to realize it will provide an earlier filing date only for what is disclosed so a detailed description of the invention and any drawings required to understand the invention should be included. You have twelve months from filing the provisional application to file any corresponding non-provisional patent application.
The USPTO provides further information about provisional patent applications on this page. Please reach out to the PTRC Representatives if you have further questions. You can contact us via email at lib-ptrc@osu.edu.
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