How to prove an invention dateKeep dated, witnessed records; a timestamp helps but does not replace patent advice

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

Keep dated notebooks, sketches, CAD files, prototype records and messages, and record the date of the exact files in a way others can check. Rules on invention dates differ by country, so ask a patent attorney. A TimeBind shows when a file existed, not who invented it.

What inventors usually keep

Typical supporting records are a dated lab or design notebook, sketches and drawings, CAD and code versions, photos of prototypes, test results, and messages with collaborators. Records that are consistent, dated and kept as you go are easier to rely on than ones assembled later.

Patent rules about who counts as first, and what happens if you disclose publicly, differ between countries. That is a question for a patent attorney. See how to prove you invented something first and provisional patent vs timestamp.

Adding a dated record of your files

Record the drawings, specifications and notes before you share them with anyone. 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. It shows each exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches.

It does not show that the idea is new, patentable or yours, and it does not replace a patent filing or legal advice.

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

Does a timestamp replace a patent application?

No. A timestamp is a dated record of a file. Patent rights come from the patent system, whose rules vary by country.

Should I timestamp before showing an idea to someone?

Recording the exact files before you share them gives you a dated reference, but ask a patent attorney about disclosure rules in your country.

What records are most useful?

Dated notebooks, drawings, design files, prototype records and messages, kept consistently as the work happens.

Does a TimeBind prove I invented something?

No. It shows an exact file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not show inventorship, novelty or ownership.

Sources

TimeBinder, Prove you invented something first.
TimeBinder, Provisional patent vs timestamp.

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.

Open TimeBinder →

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