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There are three different types of patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Utility, Design, and Plant. Utility The definition appears in Title 35 of the United States Code Section 101: "Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent". An example of a utility patent is a tool, lock, engine, telephone, computer, online shopping procedure, video compression, software, medical device, and printer ink cartridge. Utility patents last for 20 years. Design This type refers to the ornamental design of a manufactured article (i.e. physical object). Examples include the iPod, a computer model, automobile shape, bottles, flashlights, and anything else that has a creative look and feel that distinguishes that object from other items. Design patents last for 14 years. Plant These patents cover asexually or sexually reproducible plants and last for 20 years. |