A patent gives you rights to an invention for a certain period of time. It prevents other people from "making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention...or importing it into the United States" once the patent has been publicly disclosed. A patent has to be granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to be legal and valid.

What can be patented?

There are two types of patents: utility and design. Utility patents can be granted for a process, machine, article of manufacture, composition of matter or any improvement of those things that is "new, nonobvious and useful". Design patents cover how an invention looks, not how it works. You can't get a patent for a physical phenomenon, abstract idea, laws of nature, or inventions which are "offensive to public morality".

How is a patent different from a trademark or copyright?

Copyrights cover literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. Trademarks protect words, phrases, symbols or designs that differentiate goods and services. Patents generally relate to inventions rather than anything covered by a trademark or copyright.

How much does it cost to apply for a patent?

The USPTO charges $320 for the filing fee on a utility patent and $220 for a design patent. However, there's a long list of additional fees that may or may not apply to your application; you can find that list on the USPTO website.

How long will it take for my patent to be approved?

Brace yourself: according to the USPTO, the average timeframe is about 25 months. There are options for expediting the process and reducing the time to 6-12 months, but you'll pay upwards of $1000 for the rush job. And, if you've made any mistakes in your application, expect it to take longer.

Why would I use a patent application service?

It can be tricky to navigate the process of applying for a patent, and every misstep can cost you time and money. Patent application services can eliminate a lot of the guesswork and help you get it right the first time.

Are patent application services expensive?

Not necessarily. You can get expert help for less than $200, plus the standard fees required by the USPTO. If you want concierge-level assistance, you'll probably pay closer to $700 from start to finish. There are also extra services like patent searches, patent valuation, professional illustrations and more that you can consider adding to your package.

Are there any guarantees when using an application service?

You're not going to find a provider that guarantees your patent will be accepted (after all, this is the government we're ultimately dealing with here). However, many will provide a refund within the first 30 or 60 days of using the service, though your patent process won't be even close to complete within that timeframe. The best indicator of a reliable application service isn't a satisfaction guarantee - instead, look through the provider's site to see case studies of customer patents that were granted after using the service.

IP Note Review for June 2026 | Best Patent Application Services

Item: IP Note Review
Rating: 4.5
Author: Top Consumer Reviews

Thursday, June 11th We evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.

2026 Patent Application Service Reviews

Where is the Best Place to Do Your Patent Application? Have you created something new and exciting? A novel invention or a new process for a company? The next step after creating your groundbreaking invention is to protect it from being stolen by someone else.

4.5

GREAT

Great

IP Note

Pricing from $1,200
Work with a lawyer
AI-powered document tracking and planning
Auto-sync with the USPTO
All necessary documentation included
Partial refunds offered even when service has begun
4.7-star average rating

GREAT

4.5

On the IP Note website

IP Note is designed to help you with your patent application. Standing out for its AI-powered approach, IP Note offers protection for all kinds of intellectual property including trademark registration, design registration, and patent registration. You can also complete an AI-powered patent search on IP Note to make sure that your patent is more likely to be accepted through the USPTO. But, the main event at IP Note is to hire an IP attorney directly. IP Note calls itself the Uber of patent lawyers.

Costs start at $1,200 for securing a lawyer

IP Note offers the full package, which includes access to the IP Note AI assistant, Local IP Attorneys (from 800+ on-staff lawyers), flat fees for secure transactions, and a 100% online registration process that will auto-sync with the USPTO. The process is simple. First, you create a request with the IP Note AI assistant. It will generate offers from local IP attorneys who will help you with your application. You review those offers and then decide who you want to work with. The cost at IP Note starts at $1,200 for the service (but you don't pay until you've selected your attorney, so use of the AI is free). This does not include the $332 of expected government fees for submitting your patent application.

Helpful and detailed AI assistant

There are some additional features with IP Note. When we went through the request process through the AI assistant, it offered us a free patent search to check for similar patents. It completed a range of questions and answers (asking us to describe the product and its purpose). It will ask you for a website or link to your product, but if you don't have one yet, you can simply tell the AI and it will proceed and ask you which type of patent application you'd like to use (provisional or non-provisional). Once the assistant has gotten you in the system, everything you need to track to complete your patent application including file uploads, forms to fill out for your lawyer, and more will be tracked in IP Note.

Refunds do not include commission fees

IP Note guarantees the security of all its transactions, and it also offers a refund policy for its services, as long as you don't accept the results of a task. For example, if you request a refund after accepting a lawyer to do the patent application for you, you will be refunded, but IP Note will take a commission fee and the cost of the lawyer's time that was already spent on the task. If you ask for a refund before the work is started, you'll only be charged the IP Note commission fee. At the time of our review, IP Note did not list what the commission fee would be out of the total cost of the service.

Preview lawyers, but not all are local

If you want a sneak peek at the legal experts who are part of the IP Note platform, you can check out local attorneys before you sign up or use the AI program. In our area, there were over 25 different lawyers. However, even though we selected the United States as our location, not all of the lawyers listed were certified in the US. Many were certified in the UK or India instead. However, this is helpful if you want to work on patent applications that are valid internationally.

High praise from successful applicants

At the time of our review, IP Note did not have a page with the Better Business Bureau. However, it had an outstanding reputation on other third-party review sites like Trustpilot, where it holds a 4.7-star average out of 5. According to recent reviews, IP Note has an outstanding customer service team and provides an easy and smooth process for getting your patent application taken care of. Almost all reviews praise how "simple" IP Note is and the quality of the lawyer database as well. One reviewer noted that despite the program being run mostly by AI, if you have an issue you can get helpful support right away. It's an easy site to use, especially if it's your first time submitting a patent application.

Perfect if you've never applied for a patent

If you're looking for a modern way to get assistance with your patent application, IP Note is the way to go. With high praise from reviewers and successful applicants, IP Note's AI-powered tools for keeping you on track and connecting you to a lawyer make the patent application process a breeze. While it is a little costly, IP Note has everything you need all in one place, taking the stress out of patent applications even for newbies. For this reason, it earns a very high rating in our review and comes highly recommended for those who've never secured a lawyer before or are stressed about the patent application process.

On the IP Note website

Continued from above...

Where is the Best Place to Do Your Patent Application?

Have you created something new and exciting? A novel invention or a new process for a company? The next step after creating your groundbreaking invention is to protect it from being stolen by someone else.

The best way to do that? Get a patent for it. In the United States, completing a patent application successfully means that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) legally stops anyone who isn't the inventor (you) from making, using, or selling the product unless you have authorized it.

Typically, a patent will last for 20 years after you've filed your application. There are three different patents depending on what kind of invention you're trying to protect. Utility patents cover inventions related to machines, manufactured objects, physical items, and/or improvements to these things. Design patents are for the ornamental or physical design of an item, and plant patents are for any distinct or new variety of growing plant including mutants, hybrids, or seedlings.

There are two ways to get a patent too: provisional and non-provisional. A provisional patent application lets you get the ball rolling to protect your invention in the short term. It's less formal, but it does expire after one year, and you must complete a non-provisional patent application in the interim. The non-provisional form will require more substantial details from you and an examination from a patent examiner at the USPTO. However, your patent does remain protected during the review period.

So, once you've got something to patent, how do you complete the process? For most people, patent applications can require a lot of research, details about your invention, filing procedures, and waiting. The process of submitting your patent application can be very tedious, especially the research portion. To successfully secure a patent, your invention will need to be novel (it needs to be something new or not too close to another invention that's already got a patent). But researching every other patent out there can take time (and money).

This is where patent application services come in. In most places, your paperwork will be completed by experts, so you don't have to worry about boring research and details. While a few services offer a low-cost DIY approach, the best patent application providers will give you the documents, complete the patent research for you, and provide guidance on best practices for filling out your patent application the right way the first time. Choosing a patent application service takes the guesswork out of the process and offers secure document sharing, helpful updates, and sometimes guarantees of application success.

If you're ready to get your new invention protected, there are plenty of patent application services to assist you in safeguarding your ideas. To that end, we've put together a few factors to help you choose the best service:

Price. Pricing for submitting and getting your patent application together can be costly. It's important to know if you're comfortable with a lower-cost DIY approach or if you want to shell out for the full package. Some services let you pick and choose what you pay for, which can help keep costs down.
Patent type. Not all patent application services offer the same patent support. Some specialize in utility patents, while others have more assistance for design patents. Make sure that your chosen service offers the type of patent application you need so you can get your invention protected pronto.
Hands-on. If you're easily stressed out by the process, you may want to look for services that will do most of the patent application work for you. If you're more comfortable or have submitted a patent before, you might prefer one of the DIY-style services instead. Different services offer various levels of assistance, so make sure you get the amount of help you need.
Reputation. Always check third-party reviews to see how a particular patent application service stacks up against its competitors. Seeing how well (or badly) the process went for another inventor can help you make a final decision. It's helpful to check the company's BBB rating as well, for an unbiased look at the company and its process.

To help you become the next Thomas Edison, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked today's most popular patent application services online today. This way, you can focus on adding new inventions to your list instead of worrying about protecting your intellectual property!

Why Small Businesses File for Patents

Obtaining a patent for a new product or invention is critical to the success of many small businesses. Several new companies start with the revenue from just one popular product or product line and catapult to greatest from there. By not protecting an invention, with a US patent, a small company can instantly go out of business - when another company steals their idea and subsequently patents the stolen product.

Here are some reasons why many small businesses decide to take out a patent:

Protection is key to a fledgling business. One product can make or break the bottom line and if and when another company steals the idea the lights can be shut off in a matter of weeks.
The research and development costs of a new invention can be very expensive. Without a patent another company can come along to create the same or similar product at a fraction of the cost.
Selling the rights to an invention is a profitable business for many companies. For a small business that has a great idea but doesn't want the continued costs of manufacturing or warehousing a widget - it's a great money maker to sell the idea.
That said, patents are considered assets and can help a small business qualify for a loan to build their business.
If you like the idea of a potential buy-out, venture capitalists and larger corporations see patents as a favorable aspect of buying and obtaining the patent rights to a company.
When a small business is trying to make a name for themselves, having a patent on a new invention adds credibility in the market - when they're otherwise unknown to most customers.
Patent filing fees and maintenance costs are much cheaper for small businesses. Also, legal documents required for a patent can be submitted without an expensive legal team - making the process more affordable for a company just starting out.

Many small businesses are eager to obtain patents. Thankfully, the small business association and PTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) offer user friendly resources to small companies interested in protecting their new inventions or intellectual property - making the process of obtaining a patent more accessible. Prices for legal filings and patent maintenance fees are significantly cheaper for small businesses.

Along with the infringement protection, that a patent offers, the benefit of product credibility and a balance sheet boast are great for those businesses just starting out. However, patents don't come with an automatic security guard. Small businesses have to closely police the market for patent infringement and be willing to cover the expenses of a legal battle if a company won't stop using or selling their invention.

IP Note Review: Patent Application Services

2026 Patent Application Service Reviews

IP Note

Where is the Best Place to Do Your Patent Application?

Patent Application Service FAQ