01 · Requirements
A specific written description, necessary drawings, every inventor, a cover sheet or ADS, and the correct fee.
A practical, source-backed guide to USPTO requirements, entity fees, drafting time, document depth, and the real difference between a $599 guided draft and a traditional legal engagement.
Provisional draft brief
Disclosure coverage
35–55
Typical pages
12
Month window
1
Filing date
01 · Requirements
A specific written description, necessary drawings, every inventor, a cover sheet or ADS, and the correct fee.
02 · Filing fee
$65 micro, $130 small, or $325 undiscounted under the current USPTO schedule.
03 · Drafting time
About two hours for Self-Serve when your invention materials are ready; supported options take longer.
04 · Draft depth
A typical 35–55 page working draft built around operation, alternatives, implementation detail, and figures.
05 · Cost
$599–$1,599 for PPMS service plans, plus the separate government fee.
To receive a filing date, a provisional application needs a written description of the invention that complies with 35 U.S.C. §112(a). Include drawings necessary to understand the invention when you file; necessary technical matter generally cannot be added later as “new matter.”
A complete filing also includes the fee and a cover sheet or application data sheet identifying every inventor and the other required filing details.
Formal claims, an oath or declaration, and an information disclosure statement are not required. The application is not examined and does not become a patent by itself.
Explain the invention specifically enough to show how it is made and used—not only the desired result.
Include diagrams, screenshots, flowcharts, or figures needed to understand the invention at filing.
Name every person who contributed to the invention disclosed in the application.
Use a provisional cover sheet or application data sheet with the required identifying details.
Pay the correct amount based on properly established entity status.
Ordinarily file the corresponding next application and properly claim benefit before the provisional period ends.
Entity discounts apply to eligible USPTO fees—not to drafting services. Qualification depends on ownership, assignments, applicant facts, and required filings. It is not automatic just because you are an independent inventor.
Micro entity
$65
Must first qualify as a small entity, then satisfy the applicable income/application-limit or higher-education route and file a certification.
Small entity
$130
Generally an individual, qualifying nonprofit, or business with no more than 500 employees, without rights going to a non-small entity.
Undiscounted
$325
Applies when small- or micro-entity status has not been properly established for the application.
Current micro threshold
$251,190
Under the usual gross-income route; the USPTO updates this limit.
Over 100 sheets
Size fee may apply
Charged for each additional 50 sheets or fraction under the current schedule.
Before filing
Check live fees
Fee amounts, thresholds, and eligibility rules can change.
Speed comes from a structured sequence, not from skipping technical detail. The better your notes, drawings, alternatives, and examples, the more useful the first draft can be.
About 2 hours
Prepared invention notes, drawings, and complete answers drive the fastest path.
2–3 days
Includes the draft, a 45-minute strategy call, and one hour of draft feedback.
3–5 days
Adds higher-touch preparation, professional review, and filing support.
Often 4–12 weeks
Intake, conflicts, interviews, workload, revisions, and drawings can extend timing.
The 4–12 week traditional range is a comparison, not a promise about every firm. Actual timing varies by technology, scope, workload, interviews, drawings, and revisions.
The typical output is intended to be a substantive working draft, not a one-page placeholder. Depending on the invention, it can document system architecture, component relationships, method steps, alternatives, figures, and software or hardware implementation detail.
There is no USPTO rule that a strong provisional must be 35, 45, or 55 pages. A shorter, precise disclosure can be stronger than a longer generic one. Review the result for factual accuracy, missing alternatives, necessary drawings, correct inventorship, and anything that needs attorney judgment.
Draft anatomy
What earns the pages
35–55
PPMS is priced for provisional drafting. Published professional benchmarks commonly place attorney-prepared provisionals in the low-to-mid thousands. Complex nonprovisional drafting or a broader patent process can reach $10,000–$20,000+.
This is not an apples-to-apples replacement for every legal engagement. Great patent counsel is worth the investment when your facts, stakes, or strategy require individualized advice.
| Option | Service price | Designed to cover |
|---|---|---|
| PPMS Self-Serve | $599 | Attorney-designed guided AI workflow and an editable provisional draft |
| AI + Attorney Review | $1,399 | Draft, 45-minute strategy call, and one hour of draft feedback |
| White Glove | $1,599 | Higher-touch preparation, review, and filing support |
| Traditional professional work | Several thousand to $20,000+ | Varies by provisional vs. nonprovisional scope, technology, drawings, strategy, and prosecution |
Government fees are separate. Review current PPMS pricing and the full patent cost guide. External benchmarks: MadePatents provisional cost survey ↗ and law-firm cost ranges ↗.
No. A provisional application may support an earlier effective filing date for adequately disclosed subject matter, but it is not examined and does not become an issued patent by itself.
Yes. The USPTO states that filing a provisional application permits use of the term Patent Pending in connection with the invention during the pending period.
No. Formal claims are not required for a provisional application. The written description still needs enough technical detail to support subject matter you may later claim.
Not necessarily. You do need a sufficiently developed and specific explanation of how the invention can be made and used. Drawings, screenshots, diagrams, and examples can make that explanation stronger.
You generally cannot add new matter to the filed provisional. If the invention changes materially, another filing strategy may be needed. Keep documenting improvements and ask a registered practitioner how to handle them.
The provisional ordinarily becomes abandoned. To preserve its potential benefit, the appropriate corresponding filing generally must be made within the 12-month period and properly reference the provisional.
No. The USPTO states that provisional applications may not be filed for design inventions.
Patent Pending Made Simple is an AI-assisted patent drafting platform. Use qualified patent counsel for individualized legal advice, complex ownership or disclosure issues, foreign filing strategy, nonprovisional claims, or high-stakes matters.
Legal and source note
This page provides general educational information, not legal advice, and cannot determine your entity status or filing strategy. USPTO fees and eligibility rules change. Verify the current fee schedule and consult a registered patent attorney or agent when your facts create legal risk.
Your filing date starts with what you disclose.
Turn your notes, sketches, and technical explanation into a structured provisional patent application draft—then decide where professional review fits.