Patents in general

One way inventors are credited for their inventions is through patents. Patents are one form of intellectual property; other common forms are trade secrets, trademarks and copyrights. These four basic mechanisms are used for protecting rights in hardware and software development. A patent has both legal and technical meanings. Legally, a patent may be regarded as a contract between the inventor and the government. The US government through the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) promises the inventor certain exclusive rights for a limited period (usually 20 years). This is in exchange for the inventor's disclosure of an invention previously unknown to the public. Therefore, a patent enables its owner to "exclude others" from practicing the invention. Technically, a patent consists of a specification or description of the invention, usually with drawings, an abstract and claims. Electrical and mechanical inventions usually involve drawings. The purpose of the drawings is to teach the invention to the public when the patent is issued.