what is a utility patent 
a utility patent covers the creation of a new or improved and useful product process or machine a utility patent also known as a patent for invention prohibits other individuals or companies from making using or selling the invention without authorization when most people refer to a patent they most likely are referring to a utility patent understanding utility patentsutility patents give inventors exclusive commercial rights to produce and utilize the latest technology covered by the patent this value makes utility patents difficult to obtain as well they can be difficult to write the process may be time consuming and expensive to undertake and their complexity may make them difficult to understand utility patents cover the creation of a new or improved and useful product process or machine and give its inventor exclusive commercial rights to it for 20 years 1the nature of a utility patent is covered in title 35 part ii chapter 10 subsection 101 of the united states code which defines it as any invention for which a patent may be obtained whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process machine manufacture or composition of matter or any new and useful improvement thereof may obtain a patent therefor subject to the conditions and requirements of this title 2utility patents are issued by the u s patent and trademark office uspto and last for up to 20 years 1 however the patent holder may have to pay maintenance fees over that time period 3 once a utility patent has been issued inventors have the right to stop others from manufacturing using or selling their invention for many the first step in obtaining a utility patent aside from a unique idea is enlisting a patent attorney or agent they can guide an inventor through the complex utility patent filing process the next step may be hiring a technical illustrator to draft patent drawings when all the pieces are compiled a filing may be made depending on the complexity of the invention filing costs can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars 4utility patents vs other patentsa product protected by a utility patent also may obtain a design patent which safeguards its unique visual elements and requires only drawings of a design accompanied by limited text design patents last for 14 to 15 years from the date of filing and can be obtained on their own 5 to get both a utility patent and a design patent remember that the invention must be useful and serve some practical purpose not just decoration a third type of patent available is called a plant patent and it is acquired by someone who has discovered or created a new variety of plant it lasts 20 years from the date of filing and requires no maintenance fees 67 plant patents are considerably fewer than utility or design patents examples of utility patentsutility patents the most common type issued by the uspto apply to a broad range of inventions including according to the uspto more than 90 of all patents granted are utility patents 8searching for utility patentsthe uspto offers multiple ways to search for patents whether it is part of your research before applying for your own or even if you are just curious the patent public search option allows users to search by keywords inventors names or other filter options there also are options available for searching application status if you already have filed for a patent 9