patent, patent, patente

& s. [French patent, fem. patente, from Lat. patens, pr. par. of pateo to be or lie open; Sp., Port., & Ital. patente.] A. As adjective: IMG:content-0748.png:[blocks in formation] 3029 application thereof, or any new or original design for manufacture, for work in art, for printing upon fabrics, for painting, casting, or to be worked into any manufacture, or any new and useful shape or configuration of any article of manufacture, upon proper application and proceeding, and after payment of the fees established by law, provided the article, etc., patented has not been known or used by others in this country, or patented or described in any printed publication in any country before the invention or discovery thereof by the applicant, and provided the same has not been in public use or on sale for more than two years prior to the application for patent, unle proof of the abandonment of the same is made. Citizenship is not nece ary to entitle an inventor to a patent. A patent may be a igned in whole or part by the patentee to any number of persons; it may also be mortgaged, and licenses may be granted by the patentee for the use of the patent. In the United States patents are granted only to the absolute inventor, always for seventeen years, and granted or withheld at the option of the Government Commi ioners of Patents. are The official pronunciation of the substantive, and of the adjective in the sense I. 1 (2), (3), is păt ' ěnt . patent-leather, subst . A varnished or lacquered leather used for boots and shoes and in carriage and harne work. It embraces a number of varieties and qualities. Black is the usual color, but it is also made in red, green, blue, and other tints.