a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention
[ Syn: patent of invention ]
an official document granting a right or privilege
[ Syn: letters patent ]
patent (n.)
(of a bodily tube or passageway) open; affording free passage; patent ductus arteriosus'
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields; evident hostility; manifest disapproval; patent advantages; made his meaning plain; it is plain that he is no reactionary; in plain view
[ Syn: apparent , evident , manifest , plain , unmistakable ]
patent (adj.)
obtain a patent for; Should I patent this invention?'
grant rights to; grant a patent for
make open to sight or notice; His behavior has patented an embarrassing fact about him'