The answer is money. What is the fee to file an Assumed Business Name?This page provides information on the types of patents and types of patent applications, and the examination process. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with basic information about filing a utility patent application with the USPTO. A new utility patent has a life of 20 years from application filing, assuming it issues and all subsequent maintenance fees are paid. Find the best patents attorney serving Bexar County. An inventor who wants to protect their invention in the U.S. needs to get a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO may add more fees for extra pages, claims, or drawings. All non-provisional utility patent applications must be in English. There is a drug in clinical trial which doesn't have a patent application to US patent office but there is an application to WIPO.