What is the difference between a patent application and a provisional patent application?

A patent application and a provisional patent application are both documents used in the process of obtaining a US patent in South Carolina. The main difference between the two is that a patent application is a formal request to the US Government for a patent. It includes the specifications of the invention, such as its name, its function, and its use. In order to be successful, this application must include enough information to prove that the invention is new and useful. A provisional patent application, on the other hand, is a less formal document used to protect the invention’s “novelty.” This document demonstrates that the inventor has invented the invention prior to any other person or company. This document can be used to maintain priority in the patent process. While a provisional patent application can help to protect an invention from being stolen by someone else, it cannot be used to obtain a patent. In order to obtain a patent, an applicant must file a formal patent application.

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What is the difference between a patent application and a provisional patent application?

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