The Priority Date

The Priority Date is a very important date in the timescale for patenting a new idea or invention, since it is the date of first filing the patent application describing the idea or invention, at the Intellectual Property Office, and therefore causes a metaphorical clock to start ticking during the lengthy process towards eventual grant of a patent for the invention, which can take up to four and one half years measured from the Priority Date.

Some may argue that the use of the word “idea” is not correct, since an idea is not an invention. However, you must start somewhere, and the establishment of the Priority Date, via the date of filing of the first patent application describing only an idea, even if it is not yet an invention, (i.e. where the patent application is only describing the basic concepts that you have, in the form of an identified need, with only a partial solution to that need) at least shows the world, via your first filed patent application, what it is you are attempting to protect as written on how to file a patent with InventHelp.

Often, an idea, which is not yet an invention, becomes an invention after development and such development leads to improved patent specifications, which are filed at intervals, in the form of improved patent applications, up to the very last patent application, which must be filed before twelve months have elapsed, measured from the date of filing of the first patent application describing the invention.

When the final, definitive version, of the patent specification describing an invention, is filed as a patent application at the Intellectual Property Office, at no later than twelve months measured from the date of filing of the first patent application a request can be made for this definitive version to be subject to Examination, with all of the previously filed applications associated with it according to their dates of filing as you can see from this how do you patent an idea with InventHelp post.