In filing a patent application and paying required fees, the USPTO provides forms and an electronic filing tool. A stepbystep overview of a patent application and maintenance process.The five stages of a patent process. The process of filing a patent in Washington State is similar to filing a patent anywhere in the United States. Any international patent application must contain the following elements: request, description, claim or patent claims, one or more drawings, and abstract. These rules are designed to streamline the pre-trial and claim construction process, and generally to reduce the cost of patent litigation. Patents are listed using the author's last name and should include both filing date and issue date when known. Takeaway: Failure to file a Power of Attorney in a patent application may limit a practitioner's prosecution actions. Filing a utility non-provisional patent application can be a difficult process. FindLaw provides you with a guide to help you understand the process.