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Inventing refers to the use of one's own ingenuity to create something new. Largely used as a reference to a new device, an invention could also refer to a new method, idea, process, or composition.

An invention could also be an improvement upon a product or process for improving efficiency or lowering costs. It may also be an entirely new concept serving the same purpose as an existing one.

When they are sufficiently unique, either as a standalone invention or as a noteworthy improvement upon the work of another, it can be patented as a new invention. The specific rules and requirements for patenting an invention will vary from nation to nation, and the process of obtaining a patent may be expensive or difficult. If granted, a patent gives the inventor proprietary ownership of the patent for a specified period of time, and it can be sold or licensed for financial gain. Most countries have a patent system in order to encourage inventors, granting a limited-term monopoly on inventions determined to be sufficiently novel and useful. In other words, patents protect the intellectual property rights of the inventor.

While invention often includes science and engineering, inventors aren't necessarily scientists or engineers, and most significant inventions don't have just one inventor. Often, many people have a hand in the progression from its basic concepts to a valuable invention.

Ideas for inventions are often developed on paper or the computer, as writings or drawings. They often involve trial and error, experimentation, making models, and testing. Records of the working process are recommended, not only to assist in the actual process of invention but for use during patent negotiations.

During the process of invention, the initial idea is likely to change, often considerably. In the process, the invention might become simpler or more practical, but it may also be expanded or transformed into something completely different. Frequently, the work involved in one invention leads to another.

The term invention is also a legal concept that can differ from one jurisdiction to another. For example, European patent law requires that a patent application pass an initial test to determine whether it is truly an invention. If so, it has to be decided whether it is new and sufficiently inventive. However, in the United States, all patent applications are considered inventions, but that doesn't mean that all inventions can be patented. In India, an invention applies to a new product or process that involves an inventive step and one that is capable of being made or used in an industry, while a new invention is one that has not been anticipated in any prior art or used anywhere else in the world.

Throughout human history, inventions and the technologies derived from them have transformed life on the planet. From the invention of the wheel to the Mars Rover, and artificial intelligence, many of these inventions have been revolutionary. Of course, long before the invention of the wheel, pre-human species invented stone tools during the Lower Paleolithic period, and shoes are believed to have been invented during the Early Mesolithic period.

According to National Geographic, the top ten inventions or innovations were the printing press, the light bulb, the airplane, the personal computer, vaccines, the automobile, the clock, the telephone, refrigeration, and the camera.

Some people invent for money, while others invent for fun, and many of those in the latter group have nevertheless profited from their inventions.

Online resources pertaining to the act of inventing, ways to make money through inventions, information about the patent process, and organizations catering to inventors are appropriate for this category.

 

 

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