PATENTS & APPLICATIONS

A patent is a document that secures the right for an inventor to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention. The U.S. patent laws are derived from the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress the power "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." There are many conditions set by the Congress, under which an inventor may obtain a patent, but in general, an invention must be useful, novel, and non-obvious in order to receive patent protection.