A provisional patent application is an informal patent application that can be used as a placeholder, for up to one year, to secure a filing date for a full (nonprovisional) patent application. Provisional patent applications are relatively informal and aren't required to contain "legalese." Some inventors would like to economize by putting together their own provisional patent applications.
Here are my two cents-worth as a patent attorney. I've been part of several technology licensing or sale negotiations. I've also filed plenty of provisional applications written by inventors, and I think that it makes sense sometimes. I understand the desire to economize and also respect the fact that the inventor is the foremost expert on his or her invention. However, there are also some risks with provisional applications that are not drafted by experienced patent practitioners, namely (1) inadequate disclosure of the invention, (2) inadequate language to support future claims, (3) a perception (particularly among potential investors, licensees, or acquirers) that the inventor is not taking his or her invention seriously.
If you're the inventor, it might make sense to write your own provisional application if (1) you're a decent technical writer with the time and energy to draft a very complete description (complete with pictures as needed), (2) you don't think there's anyone developing similar ideas in parallel with you, (3) you have no intention of securing patent protection outside the U.S. or conveying your technology to anyone who will want protection outside the U.S., and (4) you aren't planning to base fundraising or negotiations to license/sell your technology on the provisional patent application.
If any of these don't apply to you, you should consider having a patent agent or attorney write the provisional for you. You should also also assist in the preparation by providing as much information as you can and reviewing the draft application thoroughly to make corrections and add detail as needed. If you're eager for more rapid protection, consider skipping the provisional and going straight to a nonprovisional application.
Here are my two cents-worth as a patent attorney. I've been part of several technology licensing or sale negotiations. I've also filed plenty of provisional applications written by inventors, and I think that it makes sense sometimes. I understand the desire to economize and also respect the fact that the inventor is the foremost expert on his or her invention. However, there are also some risks with provisional applications that are not drafted by experienced patent practitioners, namely (1) inadequate disclosure of the invention, (2) inadequate language to support future claims, (3) a perception (particularly among potential investors, licensees, or acquirers) that the inventor is not taking his or her invention seriously.
If you're the inventor, it might make sense to write your own provisional application if (1) you're a decent technical writer with the time and energy to draft a very complete description (complete with pictures as needed), (2) you don't think there's anyone developing similar ideas in parallel with you, (3) you have no intention of securing patent protection outside the U.S. or conveying your technology to anyone who will want protection outside the U.S., and (4) you aren't planning to base fundraising or negotiations to license/sell your technology on the provisional patent application.
If any of these don't apply to you, you should consider having a patent agent or attorney write the provisional for you. You should also also assist in the preparation by providing as much information as you can and reviewing the draft application thoroughly to make corrections and add detail as needed. If you're eager for more rapid protection, consider skipping the provisional and going straight to a nonprovisional application.