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patent

patent

282 4.4
An official document giving the only right to make or sell an invention for some years
  • noun
  • /ˈpætənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : patente
  • Dr. Mote has authored more than 300 publications, holds four patents, and has advised 58 doctoral students.
  • patent application
  • file a patent
  • patent attorney

They transfer the patent to Iliad or Pfizer.

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Examples

  • Theremin sold his patent for the Theremin to RCA.

  • Improper inventorship of a patent can have serious consequences, possibly rendering a patent invalid.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And this is all stuff also seen in the patent that they they released.

  • But it does not create a new 'process' that is entitled to separate patent protection.

    Academic text (2011)
  • So it's this strap that they listed a patent for this little piece of plastic.

  • Last week, they took out a patent on a new kind of gerbil.

  • And so, patented products typically have a patent number or two on them.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Failure to list the employee on such a patent will likely render the patent invalid.

    Academic text (2011)
  • There are some doctrines that, absent a written assignment, ownership of a patent lies with the employer.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The inventor was thrilled when she received a patent for her revolutionary solar panel design.

Synonyms

patent right
vspatent
  • Specialized
2 5.2

A legal right that lets an inventor stop others from making, using, or selling an invention for a set time

refers to the official document that records and grants that right
patent of invention
vspatent
  • Formal
6.8

A document that gives an inventor the only right to make, use, or sell an invention for a set time

has identical meaning but is the common short form
letters patent
vspatent
  • Formal
9.5

An official paper from a monarch or government that gives someone the only right to make something

is narrower used only for invention rights rather than general privileges

Compounds

A hard shiny material made from animal skin used for shoes and bags

Patent Office
  • Formal
7 3.4

A government office that checks, gives, and keeps records of patents and trademarks

patent application
  • Specialized
7 4.9

An official request to get rights to a new invention from the government

patent system
  • Specialized
6 3.9

A system of laws that gives inventors the only right to make, use, or sell an invention for a time

patent infringement
  • Specialized
5 7.2

Making, using, or selling someone's invention that is protected by law without permission

patent law
  • Specialized
5 4.9

Rules about who owns and can use an invention

patent right
  • Specialized
2 5.2

A legal right that lets an inventor stop others from making, using, or selling an invention for a set time

patent troll
  • Offensive
2 9.0

A person or company that buys invention rights then sues others to get money

patent medicine
  • Archaic
1 7.6

A medicine sold without a doctor's prescription and claimed to cure many illnesses

patent approval
  • Specialized
1 4.5

Permission from a government office to use or sell an invention

1 8.9

To use patents to demand money from companies without making the product

9.5

An official paper from a monarch or government that gives someone the only right to make something

7.7

A heart problem at birth when a blood vessel between aorta and lung artery stays open, causing wrong blood flow

patent log
  • Archaic
9.9

A cigar-shaped tool with spinning fins that measures a ship's speed through the water

6.8

A document that gives an inventor the only right to make, use, or sell an invention for a set time

Surface Forms

patent singular
patents plural

Etymology

Patent comes from the Latin verb patere meaning 'to be open'. In the past a 'patent' was an open letter from a king or government that gave someone special rights, so a modern patent is an official public paper that gives you the only right to make or sell an invention.