The United States works differently than other countrieswhen it comes to giving patents. In the U.S., it doesn'tnecessarily matter who first applied for the patent (theprocess may take up to a year to complete).

What does matter, however, is who came up with the originalcomposite for the invention first. If an inventor can provethat s/he came up with a tangible product before someoneelse, then they will be granted the right to the patent.

It's best, given the information above, to sketch your ideafor a product with descriptions on how it works. Then, theinventor, along with two witnesses should sign and date itin front of an official notary.

Following, keep the composite in a safe location while youare applying for the provisional or regular patent, whileworking on your invention.

A provisional patent application from the U.S. Patent andTrademark Office provides a confirmation to the date whenthe invention was first invented, or when the composite wascompleted. This way the inventor doesn't have tonecessarily have completed the invention in its entirety.

The inventor needs to file a regular patent applicationwith the USPTO within one year of the provisionalapplication.

An inventor, once ready to fully patent his invention, mayhave to hire an official patent attorney or agent. Then,the patent attorney or agent can conduct a search whichchecks to see that the invention is original, and that ithasn't already been filed. Once the uniqueness of the newinvention is confirmed, the inventor has to fill out aspecification (or description), two or more composites andan official claim form.

Once the application is received at the Patent andTrademark Office, an examiner will complete another searchof records to be sure that the invention hasn't alreadybeen patented. If there are no problems, the inventor willreceive a "notice of allowance". This means that theinventor will soon receive his/her patent number oncecertain fees are paid in full.

If there are problems with determining the original qualityof a product or composite, then appeals can be made withinthe Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Following,if this proves no avail, claims can be taken to court.