What is the difference between patent application number, patent number, patent publication number and patent announcement number?

The patent number and the patent application number are the same, but the time is different. Before the patent is granted, it is called the patent application number, and after it is granted, it is called the patent number. Patent announcement number and patent announcement number are the serial numbers set by the patent office. The patent publication number is added when the invention patent is published, and the patent announcement number is added when the utility model patent is authorized, which is the document number of the patent document.

First, the meaning of patent

Patent literally refers to exclusive rights and interests. The word "patent" comes from Latin "Litterae patentes", which means open letters or open documents. It is a certificate used by medieval monarchs to issue certain privileges, and later refers to the exclusive right certificate signed by the British king himself. In modern times, patents are generally documents issued by government agencies or regional organizations representing several countries according to their applications. This kind of document records the contents of the invention and creation, and in a certain period of time, it has produced such a legal state that the patented invention and creation can only be implemented by others with the permission of the patentee.

Second, the patent literature

In fact, for enterprise organizations, patents are the only place where competitors have to disclose some key information to the public, and these information will not be disclosed elsewhere. Therefore, the analyst of enterprise competitive intelligence can get a lot of useful information from patent literature through careful, rigorous, comprehensive and relevant analysis, so that the published patent information can be used by enterprises and realize its unique economic value. Consulting patent documents frequently in scientific research can not only improve the research starting point and level of scientific research projects, but also save about 60% of research time and 40% of research funds.

The two basic characteristics of patent are "monopoly" and "openness", and the exchange of "openness" for "monopoly" is the most basic core of patent system, which represents two sides of rights and obligations respectively. "Exclusive right" refers to the exclusive right granted by law to the patentee for a period of time; "Openness" means that patent applicants make their technology public in exchange for the exclusive rights granted by law, so that the public can obtain relevant patent information through normal channels.