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Generally, utility patents are granted for 20 years from the date the application was filed (subject to the payment of maintenance fees). Design patents last for 15 years from the date of grant and do not require maintenance fees.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) is an international treaty that makes it possible to seek patent protection for an invention simultaneously in a large number of countries by filing a single "international" patent application instead of filing several separate regional or national applications.

A provisional patent application is a lower-cost U.S. filing that can establish an early filing date and let you use the term "Patent Pending." It is not examined by the USPTO and generally lasts 12 months, so you must file a corresponding nonprovisional application in time if you want to keep that earlier priority date.

An office action is written correspondence from a patent examiner that requires a proper written response for examination to continue. In general, your reply must address each rejection or objection raised by the examiner, and if you do not respond acceptably and on time, the application can become abandoned.

Generally, utility patents require maintenance fees to stay in force, while design patents and plant patents do not. For utility patents, the USPTO sets specific payment windows after issuance, so ongoing docketing matters if you want to keep the patent active for its full term.