Richard McCorry serves as president and co-owner of Production Spring, a Rochester Hills, Michigan, supplier of fasteners and components for automobile manufacturers. Richard McCorry brings experience as former president and CEO of GKN Sinter Metals, a publicly traded company serving transportation-oriented markets from its base in Britain. The Michigan man also holds three patents.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) defines a patent for an invention as the grant to an inventor of a property right. For inventors, this means a patent is a way to protect intellectual property. To successfully receive a patent requires meeting the USPTO's qualifications.
Under U.S. law, an invention falls under one of three patent categories: utility patents, design patents, and plant patents. These patent types break down as such:
1. Utility patents: a discovery or invention of a novel, useful composition of matter, article of manufacture, machine, or process. Improvements to any of the above also qualify for this type of patent.
2. Design patents: an invention of an ornamental, original, and new design for a manufactured article.
3. Plant patents: a discovery or invention of a new, distinct plant variety that can be replicated by asexual reproduction.
To find the complete requirements for applying for a patent, visit the official site of the USPTO, uspto.gov.
