an abbreviated application for a patent

a short and easy form that registers an invention with the USPTO and permits the term "Patent Pending" to be applied in connection with the invention (USPTO)

a special case in that it is not searched or examined, but its filing must be followed within a year by the filing of a regular application

a way to file a patent application without some of the formalities involved in the usual patent process

As a result of GATT, an applicant can file a patent specification complying with U.S. disclosure standards and get the filing date as a priority date for a complete patent application filed within one year thereafter claiming the benefit. The provisional application does not have to contain claims. The effective filing date of the full application for purposes of avoiding prior art will be the filing date of the provisional application, but will have the benefit of the date of filing the full application for purposes of the 20 year patent term.

Under United States patent law, a provisional application for patent is a type of national application for patent filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), but which does not mature into an issued patent unless further steps are taken by the applicant.