In filing a patent application and paying required fees, the USPTO provides forms and an electronic filing tool. Our final article in this series will discuss how an applicant's failure to comply with foreign filing restrictions may result in various penalties.The purpose of this guide is to provide you with basic information about filing a utility patent application with the USPTO. Use the Patent Center to Apply and Track​​ The USPTO offers Patent Center, a "tool for electronic filing and management of patent applications. To file a patent application, a set of forms has to be submitted to the patent office. The forms can be submitted online. To transact business in Texas, a foreign entity must register with the secretary of state under chapter 9 of the Texas Business Organizations Code (BOC). Copyright Office Reading Room services are available in the James Madison Memorial Building, room LM-463.