What is a patent and what is a patent office?

[caspar99]

In your own words please. I've looked up the definition, and I still find it a tad confusing? Just what is a patent and a patent office?

[felabeorbt]

PATENT = A "hold" on something you have invented that guarantees your right to profit from it without other people making their own version and selling it. For example, Thomas Edison had the patent on the incandescent light bulb. Once that happened, if any other person or company wanted to make their own light bulbs, they had to have his permission -- AND they had to give him a cut of the profits. If anyone made a light bulb without his permission, he could sue them.

PATENT OFFICE -- The place where you go to apply for a patent. You have to fill out some forms and pay some fees and wait. They will look through the records to see if there's any other patents that are exactly like or very similar to the invention you made. If there's nothing close, you get the patent. If there is something exactly the same or very close, you don't get the patent, but the Patent Office will show you the patent that is preventing you from getting yours. In some cases you can make some minor changes to your invention and the patent will go through.