A stepbystep overview of a patent application and maintenance process. The five stages of a patent process.The purpose of this guide is to provide you with basic information about filing a utility patent application with the USPTO. Methods, apparatuses and systems are de- scribed for delivering a stent through an access hole of a body lumen and covering up the access hole after de-. 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? Just filed some patent applications using this video as a guide whilst I was doing it. Study Design—Clinical study.