Final answer:
The subject being described is inventions and patents, which are categorized into utility, design, and plant patents. The U.S. Patent Office grants patents to protect new ideas and investments, encouraging innovation and providing exclusive legal rights to inventors for a limited time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject being described in the question is inventions and patents. These forms include the design of a particular technique by an independent inventor, quantitative analysis by the inventor, and scientific research into the structure and properties of natural or synthetic material. Inventions and patents are categorized into three types: utility, design, and plant patents.
Utility patents are granted for the invention of a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement. Design patents are granted for the invention of a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Plant patents are granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant.
The U.S. Patent Office is responsible for granting patents and promoting innovation by protecting new ideas and investments. Patents provide exclusive legal rights to inventors, allowing them to make, use, or sell their inventions for a limited time. This encourages research and development by offering the opportunity for monopoly profits.