In filing a patent application and paying required fees, the USPTO provides forms and an electronic filing tool. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with basic information about filing a utility patent application with the USPTO.If you want to write software, you might wonder how to patent it. A provisional patent application has no formal requirements, so strictly does not need to include claims or drawings. Novelty, usefulness, and nonobviousness are the three software patent requirements to file a new application. The application should include the software specifications, claims, and drawings (if necessary). A software patent is a patent that protects computer software. Filing the Nonprovisional Patent Application (NPA): This is the actual utility patent application. After preparing the patent application, it is time to file it with the appropriate patent office. After you provide all the details of your invention in the application, it's time to file the app for a patent.