Our Services : Patent : Patent Applications- Overview

A FAQ/Help Guide to Our Patent Services
Non-provisional, Utility Patent Applications
Patentability Opinions
Provisional Patent Applications
Plant and Design Patent Applications
International Patent Applications
Corporate support services

Non-provisional, utility Patent Applications

Ngon-provisional patents are best suited for those who have relatively high confidence that their invention is marketable, and seek a higher quality patent that is more likely to be valuable enough to sell/license, and/or be strong enough to provide commercial protection in litigation.  The non-provisional patent process generally consists of invention development, searching for prior-art, getting a patentability opinion, applying for a patent, and prosecuting the application until the patent is awarded. 

Patentability opinions

We provide patentability opinions by analyzing the results of a detailed prior-art search.  The patentability opinion is rendered by a Bay Area IP registered patent professional who evaluates the most relevant references found in the prior-art search, and determines how they effect patentability in the context of your disclosure.  The written opinion serves as a basis for the inventor/company to decide whether the investment in prosecuting a patent application is worthwhile, or if they should redesign their invention around the prior-art.

Provisional Patent Applications

Bay Area IP recognizes that individual and small business inventors sometimes need a very affordable provisional “patent-pending” protection mechanism that they can use for market new testing their invention before investing in a non-provisional patent, and at other times need a high quality provisional application to protect a potentially seminal invention.  That is why we offer two categories of service- the first is our quality oriented provisional application service, which serves clients who wish to have a relatively good quality follow-on non-provisional application.  The second category of service provides a vehicle for individual inventors who are more concerned about attaining a “patent pending” status at little cost so they can new test market their invention to determine its value before investing significant funds.  We refer to this category of provisional application as our low-cost "Patent-Pending” service. 

Plant and Design Patent Applications

Other types of patent we prosecute are Plant and Design patents.  Plant patents protect asexually reproduced varieties of plants.  Design patents are given for new "ornamental" designs.

 

International Patent Applications

In addition to our above domestic patent practice, we extend your patent protection internationally through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).  Through the PCT mechanism, we submit an international patent application based on your US patent application.

 

Corporate support services

Our corporate support services help in-house patent staff who find themselves inundated and sometimes unable to keep up with current “best practices” in light of recent court decisions.  Bay Area IP’s IP focus, great service, and technical expertise helps small businesses decrease their patent budgetary costs, and improve patent quality.