A student's guide to United States patent applications

Abstract

This thesis presents a comprehensive guide to patent applications in the United States derived from the information provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This guide gives indepth instructions for completing and suggestions for filing a provisional, utility, design, or plant patent with the USPTO. Several statistical analyses were done on patent applications and grants in the United States over the last two decades. In addition, a case study is completed on an invention patented in the United States and the company that resulted from it. The case study provides an example of how the patent system creates the opportunity for continued economic progress. As new technologies are discovered, inventors will continue to patent their ideas and increase the scope for commerce.