I haven’t seen the actual filing but typically you would file a provisional patent that gives you one year to convert it into a patent application. The filing date of the provisional patent will become the actual date of the patent if it’s issued. Typically with a patent you cast a wide net with the claims and the examiner will likely strike some of the claims. Either way it makes the landscape more difficult to navigate if your intent is to engineer around a patent. A rich IP portfolio is an important asset.