WHAT IS PATENTABLE WITH THE UNITED STATES PATENT & TRADEMARK OFFICE?
The United States Patent & Trademark Office has guidelines for what it considers to be patentable inventions. A utility patent may be granted for a new product or process as well as functional improvements to existing products or processes.
Where an idea relates to the improved decorative appearance of an item, it may be protected with a design patent.
The vast majority of granted patents cover products or processes that are improvements on sonething that is already known. The subject matter sought to be patented, however, must not be seen as being obvious in light of what is already used or described. Common and well known substitutions of one material for another, for example, or insignificant changes in the co,lor or size of a product are normally not patentable.
If you are interested in obtaining patent protection with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, I suggest you contact a patent lawyer to assist you with the complexities inherent in the intellectual property protection arena.