A regular patent application requires carefully and thoroughly
drafting a patent specification and claims, and is best prepared
with the assistance of a patent agent. A provisional patent
application can be either a fully drafted patent application, a
partially developed patent application, or in exceptional
circumstances, any written document, such as a journal article,
white paper, technical specification, or presentation.
Applicants may take up to one year after filing a provisional
patent application to file a regular patent application claiming
priority from and the earlier filing date of the provisional. Many
applicants use the one-year period to defer the cost of preparing
and filing a regular patent application, and to further develop
their invention since it is not possible to add new matter to a
regular patent application after it has been filed. However, many
applicants may be unaware of potential pitfalls associated with
filing something less than a fully
