Final answer:
All patentable inventions fall into two broad categories: products and processes. A product is a tangible item or an article of manufacture, while a process is a method or series of steps to achieve a particular result. The U.S. Patent Office issues utility patents for both products and processes, design patents for ornamental designs, and plant patents for new plant varieties.
Step-by-step explanation:
All patentable inventions can be categorized into two broad categories: they are either products or processes. When deciding if an invention is a product or a process, a product would be a tangible item or an article of manufacture, while a process would represent a method or a series of steps taken to achieve a particular result. The U.S. Patent Office, which is tasked with granting patents for new innovations, generally issues three types of patents:
- Utility patents for the invention or discovery of any new and useful process, product, or machine, or for a significant improvement to existing technologies.
- Design patents for the invention of a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.
- Plant patents for the discovery of new plant varieties that can be asexually reproduced.
To distinguish whether something falls into the category of product or process:
- A Product is the outcome of the manufacturing process or it could be the article itself, such as a machine or a drug.
- A Process is the procedure or method employed to create a product or result, such as an industrial manufacturing process or a method of creating software.
Therefore, using the criteria provided by patent law, if we were to categorize patentable inventions into products or processes, the answer would be:
c) Both