Simply put: exclusive rights that protect an invention. Once you hold the patent, no one else can make, use, or sell your invention in the United States without your permission.

In the United States, patents are granted by a government agency called-not coincidentally-the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Catchy name.

Ever hear the expression "million-dollar idea"? Even if you've only got a hundred-dollar idea, a hundred dollars is still a hundred dollars, and it should be yours. A patent legally prevents anyone else from profiting off of your invention.

Like milk, a patent expires (although it doesn't smell nearly as bad). Unlike milk, a patent is good for 20 years.

Think about the important inventions of the last two hundred years: the light bulb, the computer, microwave pizza bagels-each a product of America's innovative spirit. Patents help inventors make money, which funds research, which leads to more inventions. In this way, patents encourage imagination and development.