Isn’t a cheap provisional patent application better than nothing? Provisional patent applications serve a useful purpose. When written properly, a provisional offers patent-pending status for one year. This buys time for the applicant to secure funding, make money or pursue any number of business plans that may help justify and pay for a nonprovisional patent […]
Articles Tagged: public disclosure
Too late to patent? Patenting after product sales or public disclosures
Is it too late to patent a product after it has been sold or publicly disclosed? Maybe not. Ideally, you would have filed patent applications before selling or publicly disclosing your product. Since we do not live in an ideal world, it’s better to be late than never. It might not be too late to […]
What is public disclosure?
What is the meaning of public disclosure of an invention? Patents are time-sensitive. Those desiring patent protection do not have the luxury of waiting indefinitely to file a patent application, especially if they have already released certain information to the public. By definition, public disclosure refers to a non-confidential conveying of information pertaining to your […]
Does an inventor have a grace period to file a US patent after disclosing invention (when is it too late to apply)?
Can prior public disclosures of my invention kill my chances of getting a patent? Revealing your invention to the public before filing a patent application can disqualify you from patenting in certain countries. The rules depend upon each specific country, so keep these timelines in mind before you plan on disclosing your invention to the […]