Provisional Application

LegalCORPS is working to develop a system within the Inventor Assistance Program to provide assistance in preparing and filing a provisional application for a  U.S. patent.  Until LegalCORPS develops that system, significant delays in arranging assistance with provisional patent applications will be likely.

To request such assistance , use the LegalCORPS application for small business.  To be eligible for assistance through LegalCORPS, an applicant must be a Minnesota resident or operate a business in Minnesota.

To determine applicants’ eligibility for free assistance with a provisional application, LegalCORPS will apply income guidelines, just as it does to determine eligibility for free full-representation assistance with other types of transactional business matters.

Eligible clients also can request assistance with non-patent business law matters.  Eligible clients also can request assistance with a non-provisional application after they have filed a provisional application.

Here are some resources that could be helpful for inventors who want to know more about the patent process:

USPTO Information About Filing Provisional Patent Applications

USPTO Information About Its Patent Examination Procedures

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Inventors Assistance Center

Hennepin County Libraries Patent & Resource Center Program

Minnesota Inventors Congress

MN Inventors Network