Most people don’t realize that most innovations were actually inventions. For example, the telephone was probably not invented by anyone but Benjamin Franklin. When you get ready to file a patent for your invention, it is important to know where you came from and what you are trying to accomplish.
An invention is something that someone has invented. When you are granted a patent on your invention, it means that you have officially patented your idea. Therefore, the light bulb was not invented by some engineer sitting in an office; rather, it is an invention that has been made public knowledge. Most inventions are also inventions, such as the computer or the automobile.
Most inventions are considered “classically” new because they improve upon previous inventions or add something new to the world. If your invention does not do what is claimed in the patent application, then it simply does not make the list of inventions. When your invention is claimed in the patent application as one of the many outstanding inventions, you should carefully consider whether or not it fits into this category. If it is not claimed in the patent application as one of the many outstanding inventions, then you should check the USPTO website to see if there are any other prior art publications that discuss or describe the invention in question. If you find none, then the claimed invention should not be eligible for a patent. The USPTO site will also tell you how to apply for a patent.
Often inventors will come up with a hypothesis or a simple idea for their invention. Sometimes, these inventions turn out to be revolutionary, while others turn out to be merely useful or decorative. The great invention of the 20th century was the automobile. Before the automobile was invented, there were many inventions such as boats, homing pigeons, and telegraph poles that actually helped people communicate.
Inventors often have a difficult time defining where their invention fits into the definition of science, or where it doesn’t fit. One patent examiner may look at an invention and think that it is too uninteresting to be worthy of a patent. But another patent examiner might look at the same invention and deem it inventive. While the exact definition of a patent can vary depending on who reads the application and where the invention is patentable, generally the claim will define the invention so that anyone can patent the product or idea. Other patent applications have more vague wording and are therefore less patentable.
As inventions are discovered, new inventions are created. Often the inventions are related to technology that already exists, such as a cell phone that doesn’t technically talk but has a different function. Or a watch that don’t have a stopwatch, but has a timer that starts and stops the watch based on the time it has been set. Other inventions are truly ground breaking and bring completely new methods of doing things, like laser cut tile and other artistic creations.