Many people make inventions every day. However, some inventors do not succeed in their inventions. Why is it that some people are able to create fantastic inventions while others are not so successful? The answer to this question lies in the difference between an idea and an invention. An invention is simply the invention of something that did not exist previously.
An idea is something that an inventor could have thought up on his own. It may be a novel method, a useful gadget, a new technology, or even a new material to work with. Inventors play a vital role in our everyday lives by creating things which help us to live more healthily and comfortably or even by preserving precious time and effort for carry out day to day activities. Some inventors go on to earn huge profits from their inventions while some others find themselves unable to profit from their inventions.
The discovery of new materials is what drives the invention of many things today. One example is the discovery of the electric light bulb. While this discovery may seem trivial, it did spark the development of the modern light bulb. Inventors sometimes go on to make new inventions related to the products or materials that were newly discovered.
Patents are very crucial to the inventor’s economic stability. Without a patent, an invention cannot be protected and the inventor is at the mercy of whoever makes the same product without permission. There are three types of patents which protect new inventions. These include design patents, utility patents, and copyright patents.
Design patents allow one to design, develop or improve an invention regardless of whether it can be used or implemented in practical use. Utility patents protect the legal right to use the invention. While copyrights ensure that your ideas and inventions are not copied by another party, it does not give you the legal right to sell your inventions. All three types of patents must be filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office prior to issuing a patent application.
New ideas and inventions are the mainstay of business today. There are a number of resources available to help aspiring inventors secure their first patent. Many universities offer courses on how to write a patentable idea. The most well-known of these resources is the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Most recently, there has been a move by the US House of Representatives to give innovators a shorter period of time to propose their invention for patent protection.