The Different Types of Patents Available

Posted by Sally Wilkinson on October 4th, 2016

Whenever you are looking to patent an idea, you first need to completely understand it and the type/field it belongs to. This way you will be able to deal with it without any problems arising from the poor classification of the patent. If you are not sure of what you are doing, you can always talk to a patent attorney.

Though patents are generally designed to protect the inventors’ intellectual property, it is important that you know the type that you’re patent belongs to when filing for a patent. Before you can start paying for a patent attorney, you need to know the type of patent that you are filing for. Fort Worth Patent Lawyers can offer you services for any of the three types of patent. Learning more about the three different types of patents will help you know how to classify your ideas and inventions. Before you can even contact your attorney, you should establish the type of invention you are looking to patent. The following are the three types of patents explained:

Utility Patents

Though these are more expensive to file than the design patents, they are still the most patented ones. If you are looking for the best protection of your idea, you need to file for a utility patent. This patent is going to protect your idea such that your competition will have a hard time trying to duplicate it. The very functional aspects of your idea will be protected from any chances of infringement. With your Patent Lawyers, you can be able to protect different variations of your product with just one utility patent. However, filing for this type of patent might be a bit expensive than going for the design patent. If you are looking to patent an idea that is time sensitive, you would be better off with a design patent.

Design Patent

These are the least type of patents filed and they are way cheaper and easier to file. If you are not looking to hire some Patent Lawyers, you should consider going for a design patent. If you are looking to speed up the process, this is the best option that you can go for. It would be even better if all you are looking to patent is the features of your invention. On the plus side, it takes you about one to two years to receive your patent (which is faster than the utility patents.) However, you should be aware that a design patent will not be able to protect the functional features of your invention. If your competition alters the appearance design of your invention, they can get away with stealing your idea.

Plants Patent

These patents are the least filed for. When you are able to come up with a way of making a certain plant reproduce without using genetic seeds, this is when you file of a plant patent. You will need to work with Patent Lawyers to ensure that you understand how everything works. Your patent attorney will help you to move up the process.

If you are a scientist, inventor or entrepreneur, you need to at least ensure that your ideas are used for good. To ensure that you are able to control how your ideas are used, you should hire some Patent Lawyers to ensure that you protect them. This way will be able to sue anyone who uses your ideas without asking for your permission first.

Sophia is an enthusiastic blogger and health and fitness expert. She is very passionate about writing on nutrition, fitness, beauty, recipe, weight loss etc. She is associated with “How to be Well”.