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ME 490 - Engineering Design

Why search for patents?

  • Establish uniqueness of invention
  • Learn about design of specific invention
  • Company research
  • Find solutions to design problems
  • Find researchers in a particular field

      What are patents?

      Patents are grants made by a government that exclude anyone but an inventor from the right to make, use, and sell his/her invention for a temporary period of time. There are three types:

      • Utility Patents concern the way an invention operates or works
      • Design Patents concern the appearance of inventions
      • Plant Patents concern the development of new plants (the living, growing kind)
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