Planning on filing a provisional patent application? Read this first!

Most important takeaway:

"Although the filing fees of a provisional patent application are less than for a non-provisional patent application it is critically important that inventors understand that a provisional patent application MUST describe the invention as completely in a provisional patent application as is required in the non-provisional patent application. Thus, a carelessly prepared, informal provisional patent application will provide no benefit and likely will be harmful because it can be used as evidence that you did not have a complete invention. Therefore, while there are no formalities for a provisional patent application the invention must be described to the greatest extent possible."

I have seen many times inventors that decide to draft the provisional patent application by themselves, while not fully understanding the negative implications of a poorly drafted provisional. These inventors learn the hard way. Don't be like them. Consult a patent attorney to understand how to protect your inventions properly.

Good luck!