This page provides information on the types of patents and types of patent applications, and the examination process. 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? Provisional patent is kind of like a very inexpensive alternative to buying a legitimate patent like a real patent. House Number Verification.