The different types of patents are provisional patents, utility patents, plant patents and design patents.

Provisional Patents (PP)

A provisional patent application (PPA) allows filing without a formal patent claim. It establishes a filing date for you.

So, if you have an idea, and if you do not have the time and resources needed for filing a patent, you can go for a provisional patent. This will establish your date of application.
Beware though - the actual patent should not differ significantly from the provisional patent description.

Utility Patents