Patents are divided into invention patents, appearance patents and utility model patents
A patent for invention refers to a new technical solution to a product, a method or an improvement thereof, which is generally divided into two types: product invention and method invention. Product invention includes all articles created by human beings, and method invention includes all methods generated through invention and creation by utilizing natural laws. The method invention can be divided into two types: manufacturing method and operation method. In addition, the invention protected by the patent law can also be an improvement of an existing product or method.
A patent for utility model refers to a new technical solution to a product's shape, structure or combination thereof, which is suitable for practical use. It is also called a small invention or a small patent. The utility model is limited to products with a certain shape, and cannot be a method or a product without a fixed shape; The shape of a product refers to the definite spatial shape of the product that can be observed from the outside. For example, change the shape of hand-held electric tools or add protective covers to make the work more efficient or safer.
A patent for design refers to a new design of a product's shape, pattern or combination thereof, or a combination of color and shape or pattern, which is aesthetically pleasing and suitable for industrial application. The design patent is not a technical solution, that is, it is not a method to solve problems, but the appearance of the product, such as the appearance design of mobile phones and computers. In addition, it also includes the human-computer interaction interface of software, such as the chat interface after opening WeChat.