Some reports have more than one report number assigned. The user may have to check the NTIS indexes to verify the report number. We can obtain others free of charge from the California State Library. Patents Patents are a monopoly on the manufacture and sale of inventions granted by a government in return for the publication of the details of the invention. Patents may be assigned by the inventor to another person or corporation.
Patents are the most important form of publication for industrial research.
Patents vs. other forms of intellectual property Patents cover tangible inventions. Trademarks and Service Marks cover the recognizable symbols of a company, organization or product. The invention must be useful. Patents are a government monopoly, so an inventor must apply in each country where such a monopoly is desired. Different countries have different rules on patentability and time of disclosure.