You should apply for a patent application first. This secures your place in line with the US Patent Office so you can tell the company you pitch to that your product is "patent pending". This way, if that company steals your idea and files a patent of their own, they will be second in line after you, since you applied for the patent application first. A provisional patent application only lasts for 12 months though, and it must be converted to a non-provisional patent app before the 12 month expires, to keep the protection. However, this route of the provisional patent app, at least gives you 12 months to test the waters before you need to decide to commit to a full more expensive non-provisional app. Give us a call during normal business hours and we'll be happy to answer any further questions or get you started.