The U.S.PTO offers inventors the option to file a provisional patent application for utility patents with a lower filing fee and the advantage of an entire year within which the corresponding non provisional application must be filed. Apart from giving the inventor time to finalize his inventive concept, a provisional patent application allows the inventor the opportunity to test the market for his invention in the meantime. For more details on how to file a provisional patent application, see here.
A complete patent application that is examined by the U.S.PTO and that issues as a patent if the inventive concept is found to be new and non-obvious by the U.S.PTO is known as a non provisional patent application. The patent attorney will assist you with the details required for drafting and filing a complete patent application.
The inventor is also required to provide any available literature related to the invention, such as design documents, product specifications, web links, technical papers, marketing brochures, etc.