Nonprovisional Applications
Nonprovisional applications are used when filing a utility patent. When most individuals speak of a patent, they are often referring to nonprovisional utility applications. Nonprovisional applications include a specification, claims, drawings (where necessary), an oath/declaration and a filing fee. Once a completed nonprovisional application is received, the PTO assigns a filing date to it and eventually begins reviewing it.
Nonprovisional applications are more robust than provisional applications. In addition to a specification and any necessary drawings, they must also include claims. The claims describe exactly what is being patented and should leave no room for the imagination. They must be clear and concise.
A nonprovisional application will be considered incomplete unless it has at least one claim. Nonprovisional applications must also include a cover sheet that identifies it as a nonprovisional application and includes the particulars about the inventors, etc. Once the specification, the claims, the cover sheet and any necessary drawings have been submitted, a filing date will be granted. The filing date serves as the date the patent application was accepted by the Patent Office and will become an important date to note if the application is allowed to patent.
