According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the patent office began in 1802 and went through several name changes until it was given its current name in 2000. The Department of Commerce has controlled it since 1975.
Identification
A patent is a right granted by the USPTO to an inventor that excludes others from being able to produce, sell, use or import the patented item.
Types
There are three types of patents: utility patents cover machines, articles of manufacture and chemical compositions; design patents protect the designs of new equipment or ornamental features; and plant patents protect asexually reproduced plants that were invented or discovered.
Geography
The United States patent laws control only the competition from within the United States or from goods that are imported here.
Time Frame
Patents protect the inventor for the sale of the invention for up to 20 years. Extensions are sometimes granted.
Misconceptions
The USPTO will not help an inventor enforce his patent.
