Patent



![U.S. patents granted, 1790–2010.[17]](/uploads/202502/01/US_patents_1790-20085644.png)
A patent (/ˈpætənt/ or /ˈpeɪtənt/) is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for detailed public disclosure of an invention. An invention is a solution to a specific technological problem and is a product or a process. Patents are a form of intellectual property.