What are the different types of patents for New Inventions?
The three legal classes of patentability are: • Utility Patents: Granted to inventions that involve a new and useful process, device, machine, manufactured item, chemical compound or formula. Utility patents, which apply to virtually anything that can be made, are granted for a period of 20 years from the date of filing a patent application, after which the patent to an invention becomes public property. • Design Patent: Granted to a new, original or ornamental design for a manufactured item. Patents on ornamental designs last 14 years, and they protect only the appearance of the item. • Plant Patent: Granted to an invented or discovered new plant variety that can be asexually reproduced. Plant patents are granted for a 20-year period. Another option to consider is a provisional patent application, which allows the term “Patent Pending” to be applied to the invention for one year. It can be filed at a lower cost, but the patent office does not review the content during its first year a
