Inventor
$50/mo
or $500/yr
If I have one application to keep track of.
Keep track of my applicationMy application is in. The waiting isn't simple.
I filed my patent application.Now what?
I have a filing number and a receipt. What I don't have is a clear picture of what happens next, what I'm supposed to do, or when.
I can try the platform free for 7 days, with no credit card and no automatic charges.
- Got a filing receipt. Saved it… somewhere.
- Nobody told me what happens next.
- Is there something I'm supposed to be doing right now?
- When will I even hear back?
- What if I miss something important?
I thought filing was the hard part.
What happens now?
Filing is the start of a process, not the end. I want to see the whole path and know where my application is on it.
- Filing
I'm here - Examination of my nonprovisional application
- Examiner communications and my responses
- Grant or refusal
- Maintenance fees at 3½, 7½ and 11½ years after grant
If I filed a provisional, it's never examined: I have 12 months to file the nonprovisional (or a PCT application) that claims it.Source: USPTO — Patent basics · USPTO — Provisional application for patent · 35 U.S.C. 41(b) · MPEP Appendix L (USPTO)
How the process works at the USPTO- Filing
I'm here - Formal examination
- Publication, after 18 months
- Substantive examination
- Grant or refusal
If I filed a Mexican provisional, it isn't published or examined: I have a non-extendable 12 months to file the complete application.Source: IMPI — Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property
How the process works at IMPI- Filing
I'm here - Formal examination
- Substantive examination
- Grant or refusal
Source: INPI Argentina — Law 24,481
How the process works at INPI Argentina- Filing
I'm here - 18 months of secrecy
- Publication
- My request for examination, within 36 months of filing
- Technical examination
- Decision
Examination in Brazil isn't automatic: I have to request it within 36 months of filing.Source: Lei 9.279/1996 (LPI) · planalto.gov.br · INPI Brasil — gov.br/inpi
How the process works at INPI BrazilThe steps depend on the patent office where I filed. Many follow a similar path (formal review, publication, examination and a decision), but the names, order and deadlines are set by each country's law.
Find the patent office where I filedEvery letter from the patent office seems to come with a deadline. And they're not all the same.
How do I know how much time I have?
Deadlines depend on the office and on what it's asking for. I need every date in one place, with an alert before it's too late, not a note in my phone.
How I can manage my application Example
My dates
- Response duein 18 days
- Annuity duein 4 months
- Deadline to file abroadin 7 months
Pages of legal language, citations to other patents, and a deadline at the end.
The office wrote back. What does it even say?
Before I talk to my attorney, I want to understand what the office is asking for and how long I have to respond. With IPnite™ I can have the office's notices reach my project and answer the examiner from there.
How long I have depends on the office and on what it's asking for, and it's stated in the notice itself. I take that date from the notice, not from memory.
That's exactly what I can't afford to find out the hard way.
What if I miss a deadline?
Missing a deadline can put my application at risk. Whether it can be recovered, and at what cost, depends on the office's rules.
That's why I want alerts, not memory.
The filing receipt is in my email. The drawings are on my laptop. The office letter is a PDF somewhere.
Where do I keep all of this?
I want my application, documents, dates and alerts in one workspace. No spreadsheets, no digging through email.
How I can keep everything in one place
What if this works outside the country where I filed?
Should I file in other countries too?
There's a window to decide, and it doesn't stay open forever. I want to know when it closes and where it's worth investing.
In general, I have 12 months from my first filing to file in other countries and claim that earlier date. The PCT lets me file one international application within that window and choose countries later, around 30 months from my first filing (31 in some offices). Argentina isn't a PCT member yet; from there, filing abroad goes directly to each country with Paris Convention priority.Source: WIPO — PCT · WIPO — PCT Contracting States
How the PCT route worksIt says “patent pending.” Does that mean I'm safe?
Can I start selling my product now?
A pending application doesn't tell me whether my product uses something someone else has already patented. Before I launch, I want an initial look at that risk. IPnite™ offers freedom-to-operate (FTO) analyses: as a per-jurisdiction add-on on Startup and included on Institutional.
I can't sue for infringement until the patent is granted. After publication, I may later get a reasonable royalty, but only if the granted claims are substantially identical to the published ones and the other party had actual notice.Source: 35 U.S.C. 154(d) · govinfo.gov
What my pending application protects before grant depends on Mexican law; I confirm it with IMPI or a professional before I launch.Source: IMPI — gob.mx/impi
What my pending application protects before grant depends on Argentine law; I confirm it with INPI or a professional before I launch.Source: INPI Argentina — argentina.gob.ar/inpi
What my pending application protects before grant depends on Brazilian law; I confirm it with INPI or a professional before I launch.Source: INPI Brasil — gov.br/inpi
What a pending application protects depends on the country's law.
What “patent pending” actually meansMaybe. But it's my invention.
Does my attorney handle all of this?
Maybe they do. But I want to know where my application stands without having to ask, and have everything in one place to share with them. On Inventor I can invite one external collaborator, like my attorney; on Startup, up to 3 per project.
I don't want another big bill. I just don't want to lose track.
What will staying on top of this cost?
One application, every date and document in one place. I can try the platform free for 7 days, with no credit card and no automatic charges.
Startup
$199/mo
or $1,990/yr
If I have several applications.
Institutional
$499/mo
or $4,990/yr
If I manage applications for others.
Official fees, like maintenance fees, are separate and paid to the USPTO. USPTO fee schedule →
Official fees, like annuities, are separate and paid to IMPI. IMPI official fees →
Official fees, like annuities, are separate and paid to INPI Argentina. INPI Argentina official fees →
Official fees, like annuities, are separate and paid to INPI Brazil. INPI Brazil official fees →
Official fees are separate. They depend on the office where I filed. WIPO directory of national patent offices →
Compare my plan optionsMy office
My application is with the USPTO.
Patents in the United States, step by stepMy application is with IMPI.
Patents in Mexico, step by stepMy application is with INPI Argentina.
Patents in Argentina, step by stepMy application is with INPI Brazil.
Patents in Brazil, step by stepMy application is with the patent office of the country where I filed.
Contact details for every national patent officeLast reviewed: September 28, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Deadlines and rules depend on the office; I confirm them with the official source or a patent professional.