patent application
nounUK /ˈpeɪtnt ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃn/
US /ˈpætnt ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃn/
A paper you send to a special office to ask them to protect your new idea or invention.
She filed a patent application for her new toy design.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The official form and documents submitted to a patent office to start the process of getting a patent.
The patent application included drawings and a detailed description of the machine.
3. A legal request for exclusive rights to an invention for a limited time.
His patent application was approved after two years of review.
4. The written record of an inventor's claim to a new and useful process or product.
The company reviewed the patent application before deciding to license the technology.