Patenting Invention Ideas: Patent Terms All Inventors Should Know

On the path of invention, from ideas to success, there are many obstacles along the way.

One of the biggest obstacles, unfortunately, is incomplete knowledge.

There are some important things that an inventor should know, like the importance of having patents, the requirements for confidentiality agreements, and the important patent terms.

Sadly, there are many inventors that don’t really understand all the aspects of patent USA law, like how to get an idea patent or how to protect the invention idea. And so it’s getting more important to learn and have knowledge about all the essential patent terms that all inventors should know.

Let’s have a look!

What Are Patents?

"Patent" is the term given to an official document offered to an inventor by the government.

This is not a mere document; it gives inventors the right to prevent anyone else from copying, using, distributing, or selling their inventions without their acknowledgement.

It is a part of intellectual property. It is a legal way to protect all innovative ideas and inventions.

Further, intellectual property is classified as industrial property and copyright.

The Importance of Patents

Inventions are the product of hard work. It might only take a moment to get a good idea, but it takes a lot more research and experimentation to turn the idea into reality. Thus, inventors need a guarantee that even if they share their invention or invention idea with the rest of the world, no one can steal it or use it without their permission.

Types of Patents

There are different types of patents that can protect all kinds of inventions. There are four different types of patents:

Utility Patents

Utility patent services are long, technical documents that advise the general public on how to utilize a new process or system. New technologies in biology and the IT sector are challenging the boundaries of an invention and it can receive utility patent protection.

Provisional Patent

The United States law gives inventors permission to submit a less formal document that can prove the possession of an invention by the inventor. Once my invention is filed, it is the only patent pending.

However, if the invention fails to get a formal utility patent within a year of submitting a provisional patent, the inventor will lose their filing date.

Although, provisional patents give inventors additional time to decide if they need the utility patent or not.

Design Patent

This type of patent provides protection for any kind of ornamental design on a useful item. The shape of a bottle or the design of a sandal can be protected by getting a design patent. The document for the design patent is most likely to consist of pictures or drawings of the design of the useful item. Design patents are a bit difficult to get and search for because very few words are used in the design patent USA documents.

Plant Patent

Yes, it is what it sounds like. A plant patent protects a new variety of plants that are produced through non-sexual means or by cutting. Plant patents do not include genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and they are more focused on conventional horticulture.

Takeaway!

The whole point of applying for a patent USA is to protect your patent invention ideas. If you are making an effort to write an application for a patent, make sure to consider all aspects of the patent protection available.

The United States patenting law offers four different kinds of patent applications as mentioned above.