Two of the most common types of patent applications are the Provisional and the Nonprovisional patent applications. Generally speaking, we strongly recommend Nonprovisional Patent Applications over Provisional Patent Applications. When you file a Provisional Patent Applications, you basically have to file TWICE: the Provisional Patent Application and the Nonprovisional Patent Application. The Nonprovisional Patent Application must be filed within 12 months of the filing of the Provisional Patent Application. However, if you file a Nonprovisional Patent Application, you only have to file ONCE.

Here's a little bit of history. Provisional Patent Applications were popular because it was believed that you could scratch together a patent application real quick with some crayon-drawings and some chicken scratch specifications. Moreover, with Provisional Patent Applications, you don't have to provide a set of claims. This was very beneficial in the sense that inventors could get an earlier filing date. The problem is that nowadays, if a Provisional Patent Application does not "enable" the subsequent Nonprovisional Patent Application, the resulting patent could end up being useless. That means, in order for a Patent to hold up in court, the Provisional Patent Application and the Nonprovisional Patent Application must pretty much match each other nearly word-for-word. The drawings must be professional, as well as the Specification. This is the real problem with Provisional Patent Applications. Most people mistakenly believe that they can send in a "quick and dirty" Provisional Patent Application and do the hard work later in the Nonprovisional Patent Application. Not anymore. Make no mistake about it. At first, you might save a couple bucks. However, in the long run, you will wind up paying a lot more. And even worse, you will likely receive a patent that is not worth the paper it's printed on.