Non-Provisional Patent Applications

Involves the drafting, filing, and then prosecuting of a patent application before the USPTO.  The contents are generally the same as a provisional except that a non-provisional application contains "claims" which form the legal protection sought by an issued patent.  Where a provisional application is completed, so to speak, when filed with the USPTO, a non-provisional can take several years to reach a resolution.  An Examiner will be assigned to your application, and "rejections" often need to be addressed; issues such as "novelty" and "obviousness" are often serious obstacles to obtaining a patent.  The claims are supported by the specification, which is a written description of the invention and usually drawings.