Filed application for patent filed in the United States may claim the benefit of, or priority to, a prior application filed in the United States. The priority date is a critically important feature because it establishes the date when the disclosed invention was first made practical.The priority date may be earlier than the actual filing date of an application. A provisional patent application allows you to file without a formal patent claim, oath or declaration, or any information disclosure (prior art) statement. The priority date determines whether another patent filing or publicly available document qualifies as prior art against one's patent application. Priority date refers to the earliest filing date in a family of patent applications. A priority claim is made to an earlierfiled patent application. For example, an Applicant can claim priority in a later-filed patent application. The priority date of a patent relates to the earliest filing date from within a family of patent applications. Complete the Application (Form CCPC HEA 2782).