What inventions are protected by China's patent law?

According to Article 2 of the Patent Law: "Invention-creation as mentioned in this Law refers to inventions, utility models and appearance designs." Invention: Invention refers to a new scheme proposed for a product, method or its improvement. According to China's patent law, there are two kinds of inventions that can be patented, one is product invention and the other is method invention. Product invention refers to new articles or substances manufactured artificially, mainly referring to all tangible inventions; Such as cars, ships, instruments, etc. However, substances in a purely natural state cannot be patented, such as newly discovered plants. Method invention refers to the process of manufacturing products or substances, such as synthetic fibers.

Invention belongs to the technical category, but it is not absolute technology. An invention can only be protected if it meets the requirements of national laws and ethics. For example, someone invented the latest tools for stealing or taking drugs, which is technically profitable, but it does not meet the requirements of law and ethics, so it is impossible to apply for a patent.

Utility model: The so-called utility model refers to a new practical scheme for the shape, structure or combination of products. The utility model patent only applies to products, not to process methods.

Appearance design: refers to the new aesthetic design of the appearance, pattern, color or their combination of products and its application in industry. Design must be attached to the product, if it exists alone because it likes to open the product, it is not a design in patent law; Appearance design is only limited to the artistic design of product appearance, and does not involve the technical performance of the product.