What is the difference between a product and a process patent?

Product patents and process patents are both types of intellectual property (IP) protection recognized by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In the state of Washington, both types are utilized to protect inventions created by inventors. Product patents protect an invention as it relates to a physical product. This means that any new or novel invention that is related to a physical object, such as an invention of a new type of mechanical device, would be protected under a product patent. A product patent protects the invention from being copied by another inventor or company. On the other hand, process patents protect an invention as it relates to the way something works or is created. These types of patents often capture the invention of a specific production or manufacturing method, or a process-oriented invention, like a new type of drug-manufacturing process. Similarly to product patents, a process patent offers protection from others copying the invention. The key difference between product and process patents is that a product patent protects the physical object of the invention, whereas a process patent provides protection to the steps taken in order to manufacture, use, or sell the invention.

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