The world has always made progress thanks to the inventions of whom has used their intellect to evolve. The scene in Stanley Kubrick’s movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” in which the hominid grabs the bone, symbolically explains just that: progress enables us to take advantage of discoveries and to use them to go on.
In this historical moment, the invention that we really needed was the vaccine against Coronavirus and now in many countries they are administering it. Discoveries, therefore, are not only useful for making society better, but also for saving lives. For this reason, we have interviewed the inventor of the Charlotte valve who saved thousands of lives. You can find the article here.
Other inventions, unfortunately, fall into the wrong hands and are not recognized.
Why? There could be a thousand reasons, some of them could be due to not register the idea or to make mistakes in drafting a patent. For example, in 1871 the italian inventor Antonio Meucci did not protect his phone and the invention was recognized 100 years later. Meanwhile Alexander Graham Bell took credit for it.
A patent invention is always worth it if you have a good idea. What do you think the inventors of radio, television or iPod have done? It is difficult to imagine a day without these three technologies. And they have all been protected.
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First of all, what is a patent?
A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, product or process that generally provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem.
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What can I patent?
Patents can be granted for innovations in any field of technology, from an everyday kitchen tool to a nanotechnology chip. An invention can be a product or a process for producing a specific object. Many products in fact contain hundreds of these that work together. A laptop can be an example.
Before patenting, however, make sure that your idea does not already exist and then register it. If you don’t know where to start visit this page.
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Is the patent valid in all countries?
The patent’s exclusive rights are applicable only in the country or region where a patent has been filed and has been granted in accordance with the law of that country or region.
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How long is the patent validated?
Patent protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years from the filing date of the application.
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How is a patent filed?
The first step to obtaining a patent is the filing of a patent application. Many patent offices provide a specific form to fill out or you can also do it online.
First of all, in the patent application it is necessary to describe the invention title, as well as to provide an indication of its technical field. Secondly, it is recommended to include visual materials and a clear description with sufficient details. In this way a person with average knowledge of the field can use or reproduce your idea.
All this can be accompanied by drawings or diagrams to better show your project and by an abstract that contains a brief summary. It is also important to clearly define the subject matter for which patent protection is required in the “claims” part of the patent application.
According to the patent law, it may sometimes be necessary to submit various types of declarations or supporting documents to the appropriate office. For this reason it is recommended to consult an expert to prepare a correct application. If you think you need it, read this page.
Find more about the Coronavirus vaccine discovery and the 5 latest patented inventions out of ordinary
* Credits to “Contributi Nuova Impresa” (for the cover image)
