US patent grants the inventor four basic rights on the invention:
1.) make
2.) use
3.) sell
4.) offer to sell
The patent could be for up to 20 years depending on the type of US patent applied for.
US patent has four distinct general types:
(1) Utility patents, usually referred to as “patents” without any further qualification
(2) Design patents whichcover the ornamental appearance of various products
(3) Plant patents which cover asexually reproduced varieties of plants, e.g. hybrid roses, fruit trees bearing new types of fruit, etc.
(4) Semiconductor chip masks which are not called patents but are handled by the Patent and Trademark Office.
