Obtaining A Patent: good for 17 to 20 years, in most cases

When you are obtaining a patent, the purpose should be so you have the exclusive rights to make, use, offer for sale an invention that the patent covers while excluding any other person or party from doing the same. This also covers any item that is imported.

For you to receive a patent of for invention, it has to meet certain qualifications. The first question that you should ask and that the patent examiner will ask is if the invention is a useful or commercially viable product. This is a must for the patent to be granted.

Patents are not granted for ideas or suggestions. The invention must also do as it states and be a contributor to the public good. When filing for a patent, a complete description of the machine or device must be included with the application. Along with the description, there should be detailed drawings and a complete description of its intended use and benefits. This is the reason it is suggested that a working prototype be made before the application for a patent is filed. If new or additional uses for the invention are discovered after the filing has occurred, a new patent must be applied to cover these new or additional uses or benefits.

When filing for a US patent, the application must be sent to the USPTO. This has to be an original idea or machine. If it has been described in any publication anywhere in the world for up to a year before the date of the application being filed, the prospect of obtaining a patent will not occur.