The word patent means some sort of new and useful invention, method, device or process. If you invent something and get a patent, it means no one else can copy that protect, it is like a copyright in a book, for instance. InventHelp Patent Patents were first granted beginning in 1474 by the Greeks. A patent once granted is good For either 14 or 15 years, depending on when it was granted. If the application was filed May 13, 2015 or afterward, it’s good for 15 and if prior to then, it is good for 14 years. You may not realize it, but millions of applications for new patents are pending at all times! Therefore, it can take more than two or three years for someone to get one on average. With all the entrepreneurs out there trying to break in on their latest and greatest ideas, you should know that since 1970, statistics show the amount of patents requested has risen more than 500 percent!