Provisional Patent Application — Filing Checklist

Inventor: Gerard Kavanagh Filing Date Target: Monday, March 23, 2026 Filing Fee: $320 (micro entity) Filing Method: USPTO EFS-Web (https://patentcenter.uspto.gov)

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Before You Start

• Create a USPTO.gov account (if you don't have one): https://patentcenter.uspto.gov

• Have a credit/debit card ready for the $320 filing fee

Documents to Upload (all in this folder)

#	Document	File	USPTO Category
1	Cover Sheet	01-COVER-SHEET.md	Provisional Cover Sheet (SB/16)
2	Specification	02-SPECIFICATION.md	Specification
3	Claims	03-CLAIMS.md	Claims
4	Abstract	04-ABSTRACT.md	Abstract
5	Drawings	05-DRAWINGS.md	Drawings
6	Inventor Declaration	06-INVENTOR-DECLARATION.md	Application Data Sheet

Supporting Evidence (optional but strengthens filing)

#	Document	File	Purpose
7	Technical Disclosure	../PRD-108-TECHNICAL-DISCLOSURE.md (repo root docs/)	Full technical detail
8	Algorithm Specification	../PRD-108-ALGORITHMS.md (repo root docs/)	All 15 algorithms
9	Production Evidence	runs/2026-03-21/09-PRODUCTION-EVIDENCE.md	First production run
10	Test Results	runs/2026-03-21/01-proof-suite.txt through 07-multi-scenario-pytest.txt	119 assertions

Filing Steps

Step 1: Go to USPTO Patent Center

https://patentcenter.uspto.gov

Step 2: Start New Submission

• Click "New Submission" > "Provisional Application"

• Select "Utility" as application type

Step 3: Entity Status

• Select Micro Entity ($320 fee)

• You qualify if:

  • You haven't been named as inventor on more than 4 previously filed US patent applications

  • Your gross income last year was less than 3x the US median household income (~$232,000 for 2025)

  • You haven't assigned/licensed/conveyed rights to an entity that exceeds the income limit

Step 4: Upload Documents

Upload the files from this folder as PDFs:

1. Convert each .md file to PDF (use any markdown-to-PDF tool, or print from browser)

2. Upload 02-SPECIFICATION.md as the "Specification"

3. Upload 03-CLAIMS.md as the "Claims"

4. Upload 04-ABSTRACT.md as the "Abstract"

5. Upload 05-DRAWINGS.md as the "Drawings"

6. Fill in the cover sheet info from 01-COVER-SHEET.md

Step 5: Pay the Fee

• $320 for micro entity provisional application

Step 6: Submit and Save

• Download and save the filing receipt

• Note the Application Number — this is your priority date reference

• Save the confirmation email

After Filing

• Save filing receipt PDF

• Record application number

• Calendar reminder: 12 months from filing date to convert to non-provisional

• Consult a patent attorney within 3 months to review claims and advise on non-provisional strategy

• Continue building production evidence (more missions, more scenarios)

Important Notes

• A provisional patent application is NOT examined — it just establishes your priority date

• You have exactly 12 months to file a non-provisional application claiming benefit of this provisional

• If you don't file a non-provisional within 12 months, the provisional expires (but your technical disclosure still serves as prior art)

• The provisional does NOT need to be perfect — it needs to adequately describe the invention

• All the documents in this folder are designed to meet that bar

Cost Summary

Item	Cost	When
Provisional filing (micro entity)	$320	Monday
Patent attorney consultation	$500-1,500	Within 3 months
Non-provisional filing (micro entity)	$800	Within 12 months
Patent attorney for non-provisional	$8,000-15,000	Within 12 months

The $320 provisional locks your priority date. Everything else can wait.

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Prepared March 21, 2026