How Patents Are Classified

Patent is basically a legal recognition of an invention by the government that protects the rights of the inventor in his creation and deters others from unlawfully using the patented product or its manufacturing method for a specified period. It enables the inventor to take recourse to legal action against anyone who is found infringing his rights in that respect.

Patents can be categorized under three main heads. These categories are design patents, utility patents and plant patents.

A design patent protects the way the product appears and is designed. Thus, it protects the shape, configuration and even adornments of the product. Design patents are quite useful for firms that work upon current products and develop fresh looking variants that have a commercial worth of their own in the global market.

A utility patent is however meant to provide safety to any radically new process, composition or the product itself, as long as it is useful in some way. This patent helps in safeguarding the nature or working of a product. This is the most commonly applied for patent and it can be taken along with a design patent.

The third category of patent is known as the plant patent that is given for a distinct variety of plant which is not only innovative but also is developed through an asexual production method. It also gives the inventor a right to prevent others from using that process or sale of a part or whole of the plant.

However, there is a fourth category of patents as well, which is known as a provisional patent that safeguards the inventor’s claim over his invention provisionally, especially if he or she does not have the resources to file a detailed application yet. Though, you can file an application for a more detailed patent at a later date, the new patent can not be at a significant variance from the original short-term patent. Such a patent is of assistance when you have almost completed the development of your invention, but are not yet ready to file a formal patent.

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