A utility patent application is the most common type of patent application filed with the United States Patent Office. There are two types of utility applications that can be filed, the nonprovisional application and the provisional application. Each year, the Patent Office receives around 500,000 utility patent applications and of these, the vast majority are nonprovisional applications. 

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A nonprovisional patent application is a patent application which is examined by a patent examiner and which may eventually issue as a patent if all of the requirements of patentability are met. The requirements of patentability, in brief, are that the invention is patentable subject matter, novel, non-obviousness, and useful. A nonprovisional application is made up of three major parts: the specification, the drawings, and the claims. These three parts work together to meet the requirements of patentability. The claims are arguably the most important part of the patent application as they are what define the scope of the invention and also used to define infringement. Typically, when filing and prosecution a nonprovisional application, the filer seeks to gain the broadest claims possible. This requires working with the patent examiner and amending the claims until the patent is approved. 

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There are many advantages of having a patent attorney prepare, file and prosecute your nonprovisional application. A patent attorney not only has the technical background to understand and properly describe your invention in the patent application, but a patent attorney also has the legal background to prepare your application in light of potential litigation. This legal knowledge and understanding in preparing your patent application will become a huge asset to you and your company when you will need to enforce your patent against infringers. 

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At Sam IP Legal Solutions, we have the legal and technical knowledge to provide you with the greatest degree of protection at an affordable cost. Contact us today to get started in securing your patent rights for your inventions.