Consequently, the filing of a provisional application delays the patent examination process. Provisional applications may not support the broadest claims for an invention. As a result, later-filed claims in the utility application may not be entitled to the priority date of the original.
Now, the applicant who first files their patent application receives priority. (There may be exceptions in some cases involving patents with multiple claims or foreign patent registration dates.)
Format of a Patent Application The Specification. The Title. The Description. The Claims. The Drawings. The Abstract. Sample Specifications. Minimum Requirements for a Filing Date.