A patent is a document which conveys a grant of property by a government of exclusive right to make, sell, or use in the territory concerned the innovation defined and encompassed by the claims of the patent which define the boundaries of the property.
Utility is the typical type and that meant if otherwise unspecified.
Design patents only protect the appearance of an article of manufacture as set forth in the drawings. Plant patents are given for asexual reproduction of new varieties of plants. Utility patents are awarded for inventions which enable a new function. The word 'patent' is directly from Latin meaning 'to reveal'. In exchange for disclosing your innovation in the patent published by the U.S. Patent Office a monopoly is granted.