how long does it take before i can say patent pending on a filed provisional
A provisional application provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a later filed nonprovisional patent application filed under 35 U.S.C. Â§111(a). It also allows the term Patent Pending to be applied in connection with the description of the invention. A provisional application for patent has a pendency lasting 12 months from the date the provisional application is filed. The 12-month pendency period cannot be extended.