article 2 inventions mentioned in this law refer to inventions, utility models and designs.

invention refers to a new technical scheme proposed for a product, method or its improvement.

utility model refers to a new practical technical scheme for the shape, structure or combination of products.

appearance design refers to a new design that is aesthetically pleasing and suitable for industrial application, which is based on the shape, pattern or their combination of products and the combination of color, shape and pattern.

different countries have different regulations on patent types. The categories stipulated in China's patent law are: invention patents; Patent for utility model; Design patent.

1. an important component of patent types-invention patent

the invention mentioned in the patent law refers to a new technical scheme for a product, method or its improvement, which is a brand-new creation and an important part of a patent. Its characteristics are: firstly, the invention is a new technical scheme. Secondly, inventions can be divided into product inventions and method inventions. Product invention includes all articles created by people, and method invention includes all methods produced by invention and creation by using natural laws. Method invention can be divided into two types: manufacturing method and operation method.

2. Improvements in patent types-patents for utility models

The term "utility model" as mentioned in the Patent Law refers to a new practical technical scheme for the shape, structure or combination of products. The differences between utility model and invention are as follows: firstly, utility model is limited to products with a certain shape, which cannot be a method or a product without a fixed shape; Second, the creativity of the utility model is not too high, but it is practical. For example, the shape of a product refers to the definite spatial shape that the product has and can be observed from the outside. The technical scheme proposed for the product shape can be the technical scheme proposed for the three-dimensional shape of the product, such as the improvement of the cam shape and the cutter shape; It can also be a technical proposal for the two-dimensional shape of the product, such as the improvement of the cross-sectional shape of the profile.

3. External technology in patent type-design patent

Design refers to the design of industrial products, that is, the style of industrial products. It is completely different from the invention or utility model, that is, the design is not a technical solution. Article 2 of China's Patent Law stipulates: "Appearance design refers to a new design that is aesthetically pleasing and suitable for industrial application, based on the shape, pattern or their combination of products and the combination of color, shape and pattern. It can be seen that the design patent should meet the following requirements:

(1) refers to the design of shape, pattern, color or their combination;

(2) It must be the design for the appearance of the product;

(3) It must be aesthetic;

(4) It must be suitable for industrial application.