It can be seen that the invention protected by the patent law has its specific meaning. Inventions and utility model patents only protect inventions in the technical field, that is, only protect technical solutions. Pure scientific theories, teaching methods, computer methods and artificial rules cannot be patented. According to the patent law, invention patents can be divided into two categories: product invention patents and method invention patents.
Products refer to all inventions in material form, such as the inventions of machines, instruments, tools and their parts, as well as the inventions of new materials and new substances. Method refers to all inventions in the form of procedures and processes, such as the manufacturing process of products, the inspection and test methods of materials, and the invention of the use method of products. The utility model patent does not protect the method invention, but only a part of the product invention, that is, the product with a certain shape or structure. Design to protect the appearance characteristics of products. This appearance feature must be embodied by specific products, and products with this appearance feature can be produced and copied by industrial methods. This appearance can be characterized by the main shape of the product, the surface pattern of the product or the combination of the two, but it cannot be separated from the pattern or graphic design of the specific product.