KWD: 12441 2.72US PatentA US Patent Gives An Inventor The Right To Exclude All Others From Making, Using, Importing, Selling Or Offering To Sell The Invention For Up To 20 Years Without The Inventor's Permission. This Gives The Inventor The Opportunity To Produce And Market The Invention Himself, Or License Others To Do So, And To Make A Profit.US Patents Can Be Obtained On "inventions". Inventions Include Any New And Useful Machine, Process, Article Of Manufacture, Composition Of Matter (such As A New Chemical Composition), And Improvements On Any Of These Things. Virtually Anything That Is New And Made By Man Is Subject Matter Eligible For Patent Protection. There Are Three Types Of US Patents Granted By The US Patent Office, Http:www.uspto.gov. These Are Utility Patents, Design Patents And Plant Patents. The Most Common Type Of Patent Is A "utility" Patent. A Utility Patent Covers What An Invention Is Or How It Functions. A Utility Patent Is Effective From The Date It Is Issued And Lasts For 20 Years From The Date It Was Applied For. A Design Patent Covers The Ornamental Features Of A Manufactured Item. Design Patents Cover Only How Something Looks, Not How It Works. A Design Patent Lasts For 14 Years From The Date It Is Issued. Plant Patents Cover Asexually Reproduced Plants. Fruit Trees And Other Flowering Plants Are The Most Common Subjects For Plant Patents.US Patent Application Must Be Filed Within One Year Of The Date The Invention Is First Publicly Disclosed Or Offered For Sale. If The US Patent Application Is Not Filed Within This One Year Period, The Patent Rights Are Forever Dedicated To The Public. To Preserve The Opportunity To Obtain Foreign Patents, A Patent Application Should Be Filed In The US Patent Office Before Making Any Public Disclosures. The Cost For US Patent Can Be Very High For Some People Although Fees For The Patent Application, Issue And Maintenance Fees And Other Related Fees Are Reduced By 50 Percent When The Applicant Is A Small Business Or Individual Inventor. You Can Expect To Pay The US Patent And Trademark Office A Minimum Of About 4,000 Over The Life Of The Patent.Inventors Can Make A Search Of Patents Already Granted, Text Books, Journals And Other Publications To Be Sure That Someone Else Has Not Already Invented Their Idea. They May Hire Someone To Do It For Them Or May Do The Search Themselves At The Public Search Room Of The US Patent And Trademark Office In Arlington, Virginia, On The PTO Web Page On The Internet, Or At One Of The US Patent And Trademark Depository Libraries Across The Country.
