AdvancedTopic 98 of 102Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems
Intellectual property and patents
Legal protection of inventions.
In depth
Patents protect novel, non-obvious, useful inventions for ~20 years in exchange for disclosure; also copyright (software, drawings), trademarks, trade secrets and design rights. Process: prior-art search, drafting claims, filing, examination, grant. Freedom-to-operate checks and licensing matter; open-source licences have conditions.
Key points
- Claims define scope
- Provisional applications
- Infringement
ExampleA patent claim describes a novel gearbox arrangement precisely.
What is Intellectual property and patents?
Legal protection of inventions.
Why is it important to understand intellectual property and patents?
Patents protect inventions and give engineers a way to make their ideas valuable, so knowing the basics helps in product development.
What does a patent protect?
A new, useful and non-obvious invention, giving the owner exclusive rights for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure.
Why file a patent before publishing?
Public disclosure can destroy novelty in many countries, so the patent should be filed before any public presentation or sale.
How is Intellectual property and patents used in practice?
Typical applications include filing a patent for a new gripper design before showing it publicly, checking existing patents to avoid infringing a design and licensing a technology from a university to bring a product to market.
What should I learn before Intellectual property and patents?
Study "Risk assessment" first (topic 97 of 102 in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
What are the key points of Intellectual property and patents?
Claims define scope. Provisional applications. Infringement.
Can you give an example of Intellectual property and patents?
A patent claim describes a novel gearbox arrangement precisely.
What comes after Intellectual property and patents?
The next topic is "Entrepreneurship and innovation", which builds directly on this one.
How difficult is Intellectual property and patents?
It is classed as Advanced in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems (topic 98 of 102). It is an advanced topic. It assumes you are comfortable with the intermediate topics in Manufacturing, Robotics & Systems.