Step 4: Read the following information to prepare for our discussion of your patent search results.

• An idea is the beginning of a patent. An idea becomes an invention when the idea is not just in an inventors head, but can be created or performed. The United States government grants a patent on an invention which is novel and is not obvious to a person skilled in the field of the invention.
• If you want to profit from your invention, you almost always want to patent your invention. A patent will give you the right to stop others from making, using, or selling your invention in the United States. Once you own a patent on your invention, you own a monopoly for your invention. No company or individual can make, use, or sell your invention without your permission.