In the United States, there is a 12-month grace period to file for a patent application after the invention is made known in a publication, used in public, or offered for sale. Failing to file an application inside this grace period will cause a loss of any rights to a patent. However, many foreign countries do not have such grace periods. Therefore, if foreign filings are expected, to preserve those rights, a U.S. patent application should be filed prior to public use or disclosure of the invention.