What is prior artAnything public before a patent’s filing date that may show an invention is not new

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

Prior art is any evidence that an idea was already public before a patent application’s filing or priority date, such as earlier patents, publications, products or talks. It can be used to challenge whether an invention is new or obvious. Rules differ by country, so ask a patent attorney.

What counts

Prior art can be a granted patent, a journal article, a web page, a conference talk, a product on sale or another public disclosure. What counts, and how much is excluded for your own early disclosures, varies by country. In many places, your own public disclosure before filing can damage your claim, so check before you share. See the glossary entry.

Searching for prior art before filing is common practice, and a patent attorney can advise. Dating also matters: evidence needs a reliable date to show something was public by then.

Dated records of your own work

A dated record can help show what you had and when. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded. See how to prove an invention date.

A TimeBind is not a patent, does not make something public or novel and is not legal advice. Whether a record counts as prior art or evidence of invention is for a patent attorney and the relevant office.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Is prior art always a patent?

No. It can be any public disclosure, including articles, products and talks.

Can my own early disclosure be prior art?

In many countries, yes, unless a grace period applies. Rules differ, so ask a patent attorney before sharing.

Does a timestamp create prior art?

A timestamp shows a file existed by a time. It does not make the content public, and it does not itself count as a public disclosure.

How do I search for prior art?

Patent office databases and general search are common starting points. A patent attorney or professional searcher can help.

Sources

TimeBinder, How to prove an invention date.
TimeBinder, Glossary.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

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First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.