What are the types of invention patents?

Inventions are divided into product inventions and method inventions. Product inventions include all articles created by people, such as inventions for machines, equipment, parts, instruments, devices, appliances, materials, composites, compounds, etc. Methods Inventions include all methods that make use of natural laws, which can be divided into manufacturing methods and operating methods, such as inventions made in processing methods, manufacturing processes, testing methods or product use methods. An invention protected by the patent law can also be an improvement of an existing product or method. The vast majority of inventions are improvements to the existing technology, such as new combinations of certain technical features and new choices of certain technical features. As long as this combination or choice produces new technical effects, it is an invention that can be patented. As an invention patent, among all patents, the legal protection period is actually the longest. According to the provisions of the patent law, the longest protection period of invention-creation patents in China is 20 years, but during this period, the patentee needs to pay the annual patent fee according to the regulations, otherwise the patent protection will be terminated.