Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC)

As the USPTO states, "This page will direct you to everything you need to know about U.S. and international patents."

This page highlights all of the free resources offered by the USPTO, allowing you to filter by type of service or where you are in your patenting journey.

This page of the USPTO site gives you "a step-by-step overview of a patent application and maintenance process."

This is the overview page for the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which is a means by which individuals can file an international patent application to simultaneously seek protection for an invention in all of the countries covered under the treaty.

This is the USPTO's Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, which can be used to dig deeper into the details of how a patent examiner will be evaluating your patent application.

"The IAC is staffed by former supervisory patent examiners and primary examiners who are available to answer questions and to help you make filing a patent application simple and efficient."

This page provides information on current fee amounts to file and pay online.

The Patent Center is where you can electronically file and manage your patent application(s); this page also provides some tips for known issues and workarounds in the system.

The Guide "contains two general parts entitled 'Introduction to the International Phase' and 'Introduction to the National Phase' " and should help you navigate the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) application process.

Information on filing for a provisional patent. A provisional patent application, "provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a later filed nonprovisional patent application" and allows one to use the term 'patent pending' in describing their invention.

This page from the USPTO provides a means to search a listing of "attorneys and agents authorized to practice in patent matters before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)."

"The Patent Pro Bono Program is a nationwide network of independently operated regional programs that matches volunteer patent attorneys and agents with financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses to provide free legal assistance in securing patent protection." Learn more here.

This page from the USPTO provides guidance to help you find an attorney or practitioner eligible to represent you before the USPTO.

"The Law School Clinic Certification Program includes over 60 participating law school clinics that provide legal services pro bono to the public, including to inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses." You can find more information about participating law schools here.

While the USPTO recommends working with an attorney to file your patent application, if possible, they recognize that not everyone will be able to afford to do so. "The Pro Se Assistance Program provides outreach and education to applicants (also known as "pro se" applicants) who file patent applications without the assistance of a registered patent attorney or agent." This page provides further details on the assistance available to pro se applicants.