Utility Patent Legal Meaning and Definition

Here is a simplified definition of the legal term Utility Patent.

Utility Patent (noun): Legal protection that is granted to an inventor for a new, useful, and non-obvious invention or improvement to an existing invention. Unlike a design patent, which protects the appearance of an invention, a utility patent protects the invention's function or process. This patent gives the inventor exclusive rights to prevent others from making, using, or selling the invention for a period of time, usually 20 years from the date the patent application was filed.