Qualifying For Assistance

Filing a patent to protect your work is one of the most crucial steps for any entrepreneur, and it's one that's easy to do incorrectly if you don't have proper guidance.

The Arizona Public Patent Program exists to help you secure free, expert assistance for your invention.  Through this program, the University of Arizona College of Law Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic will seek to pair qualifying Arizona inventors with patent attorneys who have volunteered to provide their services free of charge.  There is no guarantee that an attorney will be located to assist you.  If a volunteer who agrees to accept your matter cannot be located after four months, you will be notified and your matter will be closed.  

The Arizona Public Patent Program is available to individuals, organizations and small businesses that qualify as described below:

  • Are Arizona residents;
  • Have a total combined household income of less than 300% of the poverty guidelines;
  • Have completed an online training course (best viewed in Internet Explorer) and have provided a certificate of completion with your application;
  • Have less than four (4) non-provisional applications on file with the USPTO;
  • Have paid the administration fee; and
  • Are not currently under any obligation to assign the rights to the invention to anyone else.

  • Have an invention with four or fewer inventors, and each inventor has a total household income of less than 300% of the federal poverty guidelines;
  • Had a total gross income of less than $150,000 in the preceding calendar year;
  • Expect a total gross income of less than $150,000 in the current calendar year; 
  • Have an inventor who has completed an online training course and have provided a certificate of completion;
  • Have less than four (4) non-provisional applications on file with the USPTO;
  • Have paid the administration fee; and 
  • Are not under any obligation to assign the rights to the invention to another entity.
  • Require all inventors to assign the rights to the invention to the "business."

Additionally, acceptance into the Arizona Public Patent Program and placement with a volunteer patent agent/attorney remains within the sole discretion of the program administrator.

Note About Fees

Inventors remain responsible for paying a nonrefundable administrative fee for administrative services, all applicable fees owed to the United States Patent & Trademark Office during the patent prosecution process, and sometimes drafting fees for drawings (at cost) necessitated by complex inventions or designs. The USPTO fees are greatly reduced (up to 75% off the standard rate) for “micro-entities” such as those qualifying under this program.

The Arizona Public Patent Program charges a nominal administrative fee, payable with your application. This fee is non-refundable, even if we are unable to place you with an attorney or agent. The fee does not go to the attorney or patent agent with whom you are placed, and is separate from any fees due to the USPTO during the patent prosecution process. This fee helps the Arizona Public Patent Program defray the costs associated with running its pro bono program.

           *  Solo inventors:                                   $ 50

           *  Organizations/Small Businesses:    $100

You remain responsible for paying the appropriate filing, search, examination, and issuance fees. The information contained below is for informational purposes only. Inventors should check the official USPTO publication of fees. Not all fees are applicable. Common fees are listed below:

37 CFR Code Section Description Fee Small Entity Fee Micro Entity Fee
1.16(a) Basic filing fee - Utility (paper filing – also requires non-electronic filing fee under 1.16(t)) $300.00 $150.00 $75.00
1.16(a) Basic filing fee - Utility (electronic filing) n/a $75.00 n/a
1.16(b) Basic filing fee - Design $200.00 $100.00 $50.00
1.16(b) Basic filing fee - Design (CPA) $200.00 $100.00 $50.00
1.16(d) Provisional application filing fee $280.00 $140.00 $70.00
1.16(k) Utility Patent Search $660.00 $330.00 $165.00
1.16(l) Design Search Fee $160.00 $80.00 $40.00
1.16(m) Plant Search Fee $420.00 $210.00 $105.00
1.16(n) Reissue Search Fee $660.00 $330.00 $165.00
1.16(o) Utility Examination Fee $760.00 $380.00 $190.00
1.16(t) Non-electronic filing fee — Utility (additional fee for applications filed in paper) $400.00 $200.00 $200.00
1.18(a)(1) Utility Issue Fee $1,000.00 $500.00 $250.00

Definitions of Small Entity and Micro Entity.

Your application may necessitate payment of other fees not listed. If a patent issues, there are also additional maintenance fees due from time to time.

Poverty Information

We rely on information provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, published yearly and available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelinesThe data provided below is for informational purposes only and may not be updated as quickly as the statistics available on the official website.

Persons in
Household
Poverty Level 300% Poverty
1 $12,490 $37,470
2 $16,910 $50,730
3 $21,330 $63,990
4 $25,750 $77,250
5 $30,170 $90,510
6 $34,590 $103,770
7 $39,010 $117,030
8 $43,430 $130,290

Note:   No single inventor may have a total household income of more than $150,000.