Patents grant an inventor the right to exclude others from producing or using the inventor’s discovery or invention for a limited period of time, usually 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States.
Patents are a form of intellectual property that protect new and useful machines, articles, substances, or processes through exclusive rights granted by the federal government to their inventors.
To receive an invention patent, the inventor must apply to the federal government and, if the invention patent is granted, the government will publish a full description for the invention and its use in the patent disclosure.