According to Article 9 of the Patent Law of People's Republic of China (PRC): "Where two or more applicants apply for a patent for the same invention-creation, the patent right shall be granted to the first applicant", that is, China, like most countries, applies the principle of first application. Based on the above principles, the timing of patent application is a very important part of patent protection strategy.
What we need to know is that the design and development of products need a process, which usually lasts for several months or even years depending on the products. A few months is a long time for the patent application of "an inch of time and an inch of gold", and the ownership of the patent can be completely determined. In fact, when many companies with similar strength develop similar products, the time difference of R&D progress is usually only one or two months. That is to say, if Company A, which has a fast R&D progress, applies again after the product design and development is completed, then Company B, which has a slow R&D progress, may obtain the patent right before Company A if it applies at the right time in the product design and development process.
The above-mentioned suitable time is when the preliminary design of the product is completed, that is, the earliest time to apply for a patent.
-For patent application, please find Zhihui.