--- title: What is a Provisional Patent? — STADLER IP LAW description: A provisional patent acts as a placeholder, allowing one year to file the permanent non-provisional patent application. --- [Skip to content](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/blog/how-can-a-provisional-patent-application-help-me-launch-my-product#main-content) [![stadler-logo-bright-purple-and-white](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/hubfs/BRANDING/New%20Branding/stadler-logo-bright-purple-and-white.svg "stadler-logo-bright-purple-and-white")](https://stadleriplaw.com) - [About](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/about) - [Patent Conversion](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/non-provisional-conversion) - [Contact](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/contact) - [Blog](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/blog) - [Pirate Fight Club](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/pirate-fight-club) - [Remote in Romania](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/remote-in-romania-blog) - [About](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/about) - [Patent Conversion](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/non-provisional-conversion) - [Contact](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/contact) - [Blog](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/blog) - [Pirate Fight Club](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/pirate-fight-club) - [Remote in Romania](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/remote-in-romania-blog) # What is a Provisional Patent? Feb 15, 2022, 12:00:00 AM Many of the phone calls that I receive are about how a small business can quickly protect its product prior to launching. The answer is almost always the same - file a provisional [patent](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/patents)application.  ## What is a provisional patent? I have mentioned provisionals in other posts, but just to reiterate, a provisional patent application is essentially a placeholder patent application.  You can file the provisional, receive a filing date, and then you have one year to file the actual patent application (this is called a non-provisional patent application). The provisional will not be examined by [the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)](https://www.uspto.gov/), but it does offer you some benefits.  ## A provisional patent application can help you launch your product by: - Providing you with some limited protection over your invention  - Allowing you to put others on notice that your invention is patent pending and that you are pursuing your patent rights  - Allowing you to sell the invention or contact manufacturers and distributors while knowing that your filing date prevents other parties from filing a patent application after your filing date  - Allowing you to get a patent application on file for less time, effort, and money than the non-provisional patent application  ## Only the United States offers provisional patents Interestingly, the provisional patent application is only offered in the United States. No other country offers this option for protecting your invention prior to filing the actual non-provisional patent application. This is a huge benefit to small and medium sized enterprises.  The ability to protect your invention quickly and efficiently is really helpful because then you can test the market to see if there is interest in your product prior to spending a lot of time and effort on the non-provisional patent application. You can also disclose the invention at trade shows knowing that you have some protection.   ## Provisional patent applications are not published Another interesting point is that the provisional patent applications are not published. So in some cases, you can file a provisional patent application and if you don’t ever disclose the invention, you could possibly keep the invention as a trade secret. This isn’t a typical strategy, but it is a possibility.  This does cause me to caution that in some cases, you might do a search to see if your invention is out there, but you won’t find anything that is only disclosed in a provisional for the reason above, in particular, the provisionals are never published.  For more information about how provisional patent applications can help you and your business launch a reduct, please join the [Pirate Fight Club®](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1777873275732237) Facebook group! ## Read On ### [The Patent Application Process](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/blog/the-patent-application-process) There are two options for filing a patent application. Both provide “patent pending” status.... ### [Provisional vs. Non-Provisional Patent Applications](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/blog/provisional-vs-non-provisional-patent-applications) Many of my clients contact me initially looking to obtain patent protection for their invention.... ### [I Filed my Provisional Patent Application, Now What?](https://www.stadleriplaw.com/blog/i-filed-my-provisional-patent-application-now-what) Provisional Patent Applications are one of the most powerful tools for small and medium sized... ✕ ## Book a 30-min appointment **30-Minutes –  Focused IP Guidance** Ideal for those with **a specific trademark, copyright, or patent question** who need direct legal guidance. This session is best for those seeking **clear next steps on a single issue** without ongoing strategy. [30 Min. 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