Obtaining a complete patent for an idea or invention is a tedious and time-consuming affair. Therefore, entrepreneurs and inventors prefer filing a provisional patent.
A license like this serves as a first step toward filing a full patent application. Most entrepreneurs prefer to file an absolute patent because it involves fewer legal formalities, time, and money. But what happens when you file a provisional patent? If you’re still unsure, here’s a little something to get you started. We’ll look at what needs to be done after filing a provisional patent in this article.
What Is a Provisional Patent?
Before you look to know what to do After Filing a Provisional Patent, get to know about the provisional patent.
A provisional patent works effectively as an interim utility patent administered by the patent office. It may be filed without any claims, oath, declaration, or disclosure agreement. Even without such documents, a provisional license gives the patent owner protection over his or her idea or product. It is valid for one year, following which the owner must file a regular patent application. Having an approval of a provisional patent gives the owner the right to use the tag Patent Pending while engaging with manufacturers and vendors. Such a tag also acts as a deterrent to people who wish to commercially exploit the idea or invention. It serves as a low-cost preliminary step preceding the filing of a non-provisional patent. The one additional year of protection it provides allows the inventor to evaluate the market potential of the product and promote it.
What Information Does a Provisional Patent Contain?
You should know certain things to do After Filing a Provisional Patent.
- Title of the invention
- Provisional specifications
- Invention’s descriptions
- Field of the invention
- The objective of such an invention.
What to Do After Filing a Provisional Patent?
Here is the list of steps one should follow After Filing a Provisional Patent.
Step 1
- Make the required changes: The provisional patent: https://ipindia.gov.in/ is only the beginning step towards filing a complete patent
- Therefore once you are done, you should start evaluating how to better the patent
- You will need to make changes, add clauses, declare oaths, and do some research to better the patent
- The final version of your idea or innovation must be present in the best possible way in a full license
- Since the provisional patent is filed in the beginning stages, there will be various changes that will have to be made later on
- Therefore, lawyers should be approached, and a well-thought-out plan must be put in place to make all the required changes.
Step 2
- Try out various versions and try to figure out which version does the best justice to your idea or innovation
- Take the advice of professionals and lawyers to ensure that your patent will have all the right declarations and disclaimers in place.
Step 3
- In case your product undergoes multiple iterations and changes, it might be better to file a provisional secondary patent
- One great advantage that provisional licenses provide is that various patents may be registered for a single complete patent
- Therefore, you can link multiple such provisional patents to a unique, full patent
- Thus, inventors should make use of this clause to follow up on the development process of their product or innovation
- Finally, once the product is ready, make sure you consolidate all the non-complete patents into one final license, which captures all the aspects of the final product.
Step 4
- Since a provisional patent is valid for a year, use this time to find investors for your product
- Once the patent process is over, the inventor will need to find vendors and manufacturers to mass-produce the product
- Therefore, they can use this one year to find the right investors and promoters.
Step 5
- Also, you can use this time to promote the product commercially
- To sell the product after the patent becomes acceptable, the company will have to initiate some buying interest
- To generate public interest, it is better if the companies invest in some paid promotions
- This will help highlight the uses of the product while also showcasing all of its features
- If the public is more aware of the product’s characteristics and uses, they will be more likely to buy the product
- However, such marketing and promotion should only take place if the owner is sure that the product will do well once mass-produced.
Step 6
- Owners can utilise this time to conduct market analysis
- In case the owner is unsure if the full product will sell, they can use this one year to analyze the market
- Once the investigation is complete, the owner will have a better understanding of how the market works
- Such knowledge will also help the owner decide on what is the best way to promote and market the product.
Step 7
- Furthermore, owners can also use this time to investigate and analyze how to go about obtaining a foreign patent
- If the innovator plans on expanding their business to international destinations, then this is a critical step that must be undertaken
- During this period, the owner can engage in talks with foreign correspondents to know how to move for a patent that will be applicable abroad.
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