A stepbystep overview of a patent application and maintenance process. The five stages of a patent process.This tutorial will focus on patents and the process for securing a patent in the U.S. First, let's consider why we have a patent system? It is possible to prepare and file your own provisional patent application. You should know if your invention is patentable, if it is right for your business and if you are ready to file a patent application. What are the types of patent applications? There are three types of patent applications, namely invention, utility model, and design.