We can assist in having a provisional patent application filed in as little as 24 hours, more if technical descriptions and drawings need to be made, so it depends on how much information you can provide and how comfortable you are in creating your own technical disclosures. Once filed, however, the confirmation is immediate and you will be "patent pending" for 12 months. However, having a provisional patent app doesn't mean your invention is "protected from being stolen" in such a sense. The provisional patent app is a temporary placeholder which you will want to eventually convert into a non-provisional patent app before the 12 months are up. Only when you eventually apply for the non-provisional patent app, before the 12 months are up for the provisional, and that non-provisional patent app is approved by the US Patent Office will you then get 20 years of full patent rights and the ability to sue others for making your invention. The provisional patent app gets your "foot in the door" as they say, to save your place in line, but it must be converted to a non-provisional patent app before the 12 months are up to keep your place in line. Check out our knowledge center on our website, we have some great articles which explains this even more. Or, give us a call during business hours.