Your first patent application, with a clear process.
Work directly with a registered patent attorney and former USPTO examiner to organize the technical disclosure, define the scope of the work, and prepare, file, and prosecute your application.
A 20-minute initial consultation at no charge. Please do not share confidential invention details.
Start With the Right Questions
Work directly with your patent attorney
No handing your application off to someone you've never met. The registered patent attorney you speak with interviews your inventors, drafts the application, files it, and handles the USPTO responses that follow.
Start with one application
Most founders begin with a single provisional or non-provisional application. A provisional is not examined on its own; it holds a filing date for up to 12 months, and a non-provisional application (and/or an application in another jurisdiction) is to be filed within that window to claim its benefit. Whether the provisional supports the later claims can be reviewed during examination and in litigation, so its content matters.
See the fixed-fee provisional →Understand scope and fees up front
Fees depend on the technology, the number of embodiments and figures, and the claim strategy. Everything is agreed in writing before drafting begins.
Plan beyond the first filing
Continuations and follow-on applications can protect what you build next. When you are ready to plan a portfolio, the approach scales with you.
See portfolio planning →From First Call to Filed Application
Initial consultation and conflicts check
A 20-minute call about your goals and timing. Share founder, company, and investor names for conflicts; no invention details yet.
Written scope and fees
Provisional or non-provisional, what is included, the schedule, and the fee, agreed in writing before work begins.
Inventor interview and drafting
A technical interview at engineering depth, then claims, specification, and figures drafted around how your invention actually works.
Review and agreed next steps
You review and revise the draft. The application is then filed with the USPTO, and later USPTO prosecution proceeds as agreed in your engagement.
What to Prepare, and When
Keep technical details out of the first conversation. They come later, after conflicts are cleared and the engagement is in place.
Before the consultation
Names of the founders, the company, co-owners, and investors, so conflicts can be checked. A general description of your field, such as "machine learning," "power electronics," or "consumer products," is enough.
After you engage
Technical write-ups, architecture diagrams, descriptions of how the system works, alternatives you considered, and any prior art or competing products you already know about.
Dates to mention early
Planned launches, public demos, conference talks, publications, and fundraising conversations. Raise the dates at the consultation, without the technical details.
Engineer. Examiner. Patent Attorney.
PatentDrafters is led by Brent Lindon, a registered patent attorney and former USPTO patent examiner, with about 10 years of electronics and software engineering, including with the U.S. Navy, before law.
Your inventors work directly with a registered patent attorney and former USPTO examiner, from the first interview through drafting, filing, and USPTO prosecution, as agreed in your engagement.
Read the full background →- Patent practice
- 15+ years
- Patent practice
- Applications drafted
- 500+
- Applications drafted
- Engineering
- 10 years
- Engineering
- Former examiner
- USPTO
- Former examiner
Founder Questions
Can we start with a provisional application?
Yes. Many startups begin with a provisional application. A provisional application is not examined on its own and expires after 12 months unless a non-provisional application claims its benefit. Whether it supports the non-provisional's claims can be evaluated later, during examination or in litigation, so it should be prepared with care. Whether a provisional or a non-provisional application fits your plans is discussed when the work is scoped.
Will I work with you directly?
Yes. You work directly with a registered patent attorney, from the initial consultation through the inventor interview, drafting, filing, and USPTO responses.
What should we prepare before the first call?
Only your contact details and the names of the parties involved, such as founders, co-owners, and investors. Please do not send technical documents or invention descriptions until conflicts are cleared and an engagement is in place.
How are fees set?
Scope, timeline, and fees are agreed in writing before drafting begins. The main drivers are the complexity of the technology, the number of embodiments and figures, and the claim strategy.
We plan to launch or fundraise soon. What should we do?
Mention the dates at the consultation, without technical details. Timing is discussed when the work is scoped, and the schedule is agreed in writing.
Do you handle what happens after filing?
Yes. Office action responses, examiner interviews, and continuation filings can be handled within the same engagement, with the scope agreed in writing.
Let's Discuss YourNext Patent Application.
Start with a no-charge initial consultation to discuss your goals, timing, and whether the practice is a fit. Technical details come later, after conflicts are cleared and an engagement is in place.
No charge for the initial consultation. Please share only party names until conflicts are cleared.
Prefer to start by email?
Please provide contact details and party names only. Do not send confidential, technical, or time-sensitive information.