A patent is a document that:

• is granted by a government;
• describes, in an enabling manner, to a person having only ordinary skill in the corresponding field of endeavor ("the art"), how to make and/or use one or more "inventions" without substantial experimentation; and
• legally defines each invention via one or more "claims".

Most government grant patents to encourage detailed and empowering written descriptions of innovations to the public, thereby continually increasing the public’s knowledge base.  Thus, the description section of most patents typically includes both text and drawings, and sometimes tables, equations, and/or charts.  Photos are rarely permitted, and generally, the entire contents of the patent must be clearly reproducible on paper, such as via a copying machine.

Once granted, a patent provides its owner with the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling anything that falls within the scope of any valid unexpired claim of that patent.  Claims can endure for up to a specified period of time, which is typically 20 years from the filing date of the initial application that led to that patent.  In the United States, a patent also provides its owner with the right to exclude others from offering for sale or importing the claimed invention.

Generally, except as noted, our communications focus on U.S. patents.