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For inventors, founders and product designers

Inventor timestamping: a dated record of your notes, sketches and specifications

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. For inventors, that is a dated, checkable record that the exact notebook page, sketch or specification existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, if someone later says the idea or the file was different.

The fingerprint is made in the browser, and the file stays on your device. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free; after that, TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Notes and a specification are dated before they are disclosedAn inventor's notebook and a specification are dated in TimeBinder, a certificate is made, and the dated set is ready before the work is disclosed. The files stay on the device.1Notes and specNotesSpecstays on your deviceDated recordSpec v2 · 14 Nov23Before you discloseDated setBefore you disclose

In the TimeBinder app, drag and drop your file. Your browser creates its digital fingerprint. Your file stays on your device—we never receive or see its contents.

Open TimeBinder app

Your files stay on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of each file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

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Inventor timestamping: the short answer

An independent, verifiable timestamp shows that an exact file, such as a lab notebook export, a sketch or a specification, existed no later than a recorded time, and lets anyone check later that the file they are shown still matches its fingerprint. TimeBinder makes the fingerprint in your browser, so the file stays on your device. The time is anchored to a public record that no single party controls, so an adviser, an investor or the other side can check it without having to trust you or TimeBinder. To make one, click here to start.

It does not show who invented the work, who owns it, that it is patentable, or how a patent office or court will treat it. It is not a patent filing and it does not publish your invention. That is general information, not legal advice. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required; after that TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Where a dated record helps an inventor

Match the record to the moments that actually matter: before you tell someone, before you file, and when a version of the work is about to leave your hands.

  1. Notes and sketches

    Notebook pages, sketches, CAD exports and early specifications, dated as you go, so you can show what existed on a given day.

  2. Before you disclose

    The exact pack you will show an investor, a manufacturer, a collaborator or a future employer, dated before the meeting or the send.

  3. Before you file

    The description you will rely on if you file a patent or a design application, dated while it is still private.

  4. Ongoing records

    Later revisions, test results and manufacturing files, each dated when that version is issued, so you keep a trail rather than a single snapshot.

A layer of protection before the work leaves your hands

Once an invention is made available to the public, it can be harder, or in some places impossible, to patent it. In the United States, an inventor generally has a one-year grace period after their own public disclosure in which to file (35 U.S.C. § 102). In Europe, the state of the art is everything made available to the public before the filing date (EPC Article 54), so a public disclosure before filing is usually fatal to novelty. A TimeBind does not stop a disclosure from being public, and it does not replace a patent application. It is a private, dated record of the exact file you held, which can help you show what existed by a date if a later dispute, a prior-user claim or a grace-period question turns on timing.

If you want the invention to stay secret, keep the file private and date it. If you want a defensive publication, that is a different step: you would be making the work public. Our comparison of a defensive publication and a timestamp sets out the difference. For formal filings, see provisional patent vs a timestamp.

Learning path: prove your drafts existed first, defend against faked records, then check file integrity

This four-stage path groups the guides we have written for inventors. Start by dating the notebook page, sketch or specification before you disclose it. Then see why a file date or a screenshot is easy to doubt, including when records can be altered or generated. Then check whether a file still matches. The last stage covers working records and what a dated record can and cannot do beside a patent filing. TimeBinder does not detect AI; a TimeBind is a dated, checkable record that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It is general information, not legal advice.

  1. Prove your drafts existed first

    Date the exact file before a pitch, demo or NDA, so a later dispute starts from a record that the version existed by a time and still matches.

    How to show when you had an inventionTimestamp before you discloseAn NDA and a timestamp before you discloseHow to prove a file existed before a date

  2. AI-fakes defence

    Why a file date, a screenshot or a notebook scan is easy to question, and what an independent record adds when dates or copies can be faked.

    How to protect yourself from AI forgeries, deepfakes and backdatingDeepfake or genuine? What a dated record can showCan a file’s date created be changed?

  3. File integrity

    How to tell whether a file has been changed, and how to check that it still matches its fingerprint.

    How to tell if a file has been changedCheck a file still matches its fingerprintForensic examination vs an independent timestampFree SHA-256 hash checkerWas this file changed? File comparison checkerFile date and metadata inspector

  4. Working records, and what a dated record is not

    Notebook exports, CAD and the prior-use records around them, and where a TimeBind fits beside a patent filing or a publication.

    Prove a CAD model existed before a datePrior user rights: the records to keepPrior inventions list before a new jobProvisional patent vs a timestampDefensive publication vs a timestamp

What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not

  • It shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time, and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint.
  • It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or how a file was made.
  • It does not replace a patent application, a design filing, an NDA, or advice from a patent attorney about your own situation.

How to timestamp an invention record

  1. Freeze the exact file. Export the notebook page, sketch, CAD file or specification as you will keep it. Opening and re-saving a native CAD file can change it, so work from a copy you will not edit.
  2. Name it for the moment. Use a name that shows the version and the reason, for example a pre-pitch spec or a pre-filing description.
  3. Create a TimeBind. Open the TimeBinder app and add up to 10 files. Your browser makes the fingerprints and the files stay on your device. Choose Pooled for routine records or ASAP when the date must be recorded straight away.
  4. Keep the certificate with the file. Save the Proof of Time Certificate next to the exact file in your invention records. Keep the original unchanged.
  5. Explain only what it shows. If an adviser, investor or the other side asks, give them the certificate and the exact file, and say that the file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. Nothing more.

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Inventor guides, comparisons and tools

Every guide, comparison and tool we have for inventors, grouped by what you are about to do. The step-by-step page is timestamping invention records. For the moment just before a pitch or an NDA, see timestamp before you disclose.

Lab notebooks, sketches and records before you disclose

Patent filings, grace periods and prior use

Product design, manufacturing and trade secrets

Tools, plans and related hubs

Free checklist: proving when your invention or code existed

A one-page checklist for inventors and developers covering lab notebooks, CAD, test results and repositories. It shows a file existed by a date. It does not show who invented it, and it is not a patent filing.

Download the inventors and developers checklist (PDF) ↓

If you are about to put unpublished invention or design details into an AI tool, or file a disclosure, the free AI-assisted invention record checklist helps you review the exact files, the current terms, and a note of the human contribution. It cannot decide inventorship or patentability, and it is not legal advice.

Inventor timestamping: FAQ

What is inventor timestamping?

It is a way to record that an exact file, such as a notebook export, a sketch or a specification, existed no later than a recorded time, and to check later that the file you are shown still matches. TimeBinder makes a digital fingerprint of the file in your browser and records the fingerprint with a time. It does not record who made the file, and it does not publish the invention.

Does a TimeBind replace a patent application?

No. A TimeBind is not a patent, a provisional patent or a design registration. It does not give you exclusive rights. A patent attorney can advise on whether and when to file. Our comparison of a provisional patent and a timestamp sets out what each one does.

Does a TimeBind make my invention prior art?

No. Prior art generally means information that was publicly available. A TimeBind records a private fingerprint of your file, so it does not publish your invention. If you want a defensive publication, that is a separate step: see defensive publication vs a timestamp.

I might file in the US and in Europe. When should I date my files?

Date them before you disclose the work to anyone, and keep the files private until you have advice on filing. The United States generally gives an inventor a one-year grace period after their own public disclosure (35 U.S.C. § 102). Under the European Patent Convention, everything made available to the public before the filing date is typically part of the state of the art (EPC Article 54). A TimeBind does not change those rules. It can help you show what you held, and when, if timing is later in issue. This is general information, not legal advice.

What does it cost?

Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that a Pooled TimeBind is US$5 and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15, each for up to 10 files. A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, often sooner. An ASAP TimeBind is broadcast straight away; confirmation on the public record is not instant. People who timestamp often can use a monthly plan. Prices checked on the live pricing page on 11 November 2026.

Which files should I timestamp?

The files you would rely on if someone later disputed timing: current notebook pages, sketches, specifications, CAD exports, test results and the pack you will show an investor or a manufacturer. Routine working saves rarely need one. Date a version when it is about to leave your hands, or when you would be sorry not to have a record of it.

Does a TimeBind show that I invented it, or that I own it?

No. It shows when an exact file existed, not who made it or who owns it. Authorship and ownership turn on the facts, any employment or commission terms, and the law where you work. A patent attorney or a lawyer can advise on your own situation.

What public record is the time anchored to?

The fingerprint is anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain, a public ledger that no single party controls. An ASAP TimeBind is its own Bitcoin transaction and can be checked there without relying on TimeBinder. A Pooled TimeBind is batched with others and is verified through TimeBinder. Checking a certificate is free.

Can a TimeBind show that my invention record was not faked?

No. A TimeBind records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, that it is true, or that you are the inventor, and TimeBinder does not detect AI. It gives an independent date that a file date or a screenshot cannot. Our guide on changing file dates explains why.

Date your next notebook page or specification free

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

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

Inventors who timestamp often: see pricing or which plan do I need?.