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What is the difference between a provisional patent application and a non-provisional one?

A provisional patent has a 12­month pendency period from the date of filing. The U.S. Patent Office will not grant extensions for any reason. A patent inventor must file a full (non­provisional) patent application to take advantage of the provisional patent's filing date. If a full patent is not filed within a year, the provisional patent application is considered abandoned.

A full or "non­provisional" application establishes an invention's filing date and initiates the official examination process with a U.S. Patent Office examiner.

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