An invention is usually a novel or unique device, technique, composition or procedure. The ultimate inventor usually has a clear understanding of what the new product or process does, how it works and why it works. The invention process is normally a discrete process over an extended period of time, such as a number of years or decades. It can be a novel improvement on a previously existing product or procedure or a revolutionary new process or invention for making an item or a new product. Many times, the process of developing or inventing a product or process requires months, if not years, of research and development prior to bringing the product to the market.
The most important reason for the inventor to file for protection in the US patent and Trademark Office is to prevent others from selling or making a similar product without obtaining a US patent first. The reason for this protection is not only to prevent others from stealing or building on an inventor’s discovery but also to discourage potential competitors from starting a business that would infringe on the inventor’s rights in his inventions. Other national agencies provide protection for inventors. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office even have an Office of Technology in response to the increasing number of patent applications.
A new invention or finding is considered an invention, when a person or a group of people claim an exclusive right to a Scientific Method. The Scientific Method generally refers to a method by which a subject is produced such that every result is a separate creation. A Scientific Method claims an exclusive right to the method rather than an invention. Examples of such methods are the extraction of hydrogen through electrolysis, the detection of the first traces of carbon-based compounds, and photosynthesis.
In order to patent an invention, the inventor must demonstrate to the patent office in a written application that there is a “chain of events” leading up to the original claim and that the event(s) is “unexpected and unexpected.” A chain of events generally has to involve a step-by-step description of how the invention came to be. The process does not have to involve any scientific experiment. In addition, if the patent application is intended to cover future inventions, then it is not necessary to describe each step in great detail. The fact that an invention is novel does not mean that there were no previous inventions that were discovered.
If an invention is described in a way that others could not make or do, it is called a “contributory idea.” Even if the way that an invention is made doesn’t work, other people’s attempts can still constitute infringements, especially if they are substantially similar. An example of an idea being copied is when a basketball player passes the ball back and forth between two players. In this way of thinking, it seems likely that the basketball player “invented” the move by making it himself.
It is important to remember that inventions are not necessarily “good” inventions. Many things which we take for granted are actually inventions. Take for instance the television. The first televisions were obviously not inventions; instead, they were improvements on existing technology. So, in order to obtain a patent, you should show that there is some sort of obvious benefit to the world which you would like to patent and that others have attempted to do or have tried to do but failed to do so.