Patent Law grants an inventor the right to exclude others from producing or using the inventor’s discovery or invention for a limited period of time. U.S. patent laws were enacted by Congress under its Constitutional grant of authority to protect the discoveries of inventors. The main body of patent law concerning patents is found in Title 35 of the United States Code. In the patent law for the invention to be patented it must be novel, useful, and not of an obvious nature. Such “utility” patents are issued for four general types of inventions/discoveries: machines, human made products, compositions of matter, and processing methods. Changing technology has led to an ever expanding understanding of what constitutes a human made product. Specific additions to the Patent Act provide, in addition, for design and plant patents.

Patent protection provides security to the patent applicant against patent infringement. Patent infringement would occur if someone made, used or sold your patented door lock without your permission in a country that has granted you a patent, during the term of the patent.

The first Patent number was issued in 1836. It was simply (1). When you want to find when an item was made, and you can find the Patent numbers use the largest number you can find. Most items list many Patent numbers. The only one you need to know is the last and largest one listed. There are exceptions to this rule however.