What does the word"patent （专利权）"mean to you？Does it interest you？If it does，stop and think a moment about some of the commonplace things that you use every day：the telephone，radio，television，and the thousands of other things that enrich our lives today，were once only ideas in the minds of men．If it had not been possible to patent their ideas，so as to protect them from being copied，these inventions might never have been fully developed to serve human beings．

If there were no patent protection there would be little encouragement to invent，for once the secrets of an invention became known，those who did not experience the inventor's risks and expenses（花费） might well fill the market with their copies of his product and steal much of the benefit （益处） of his efforts．

The most basic values in the U．S．patent system came from England．During the rule of Queen Elizabeth I in England，the growing technology was furthered by the giving of exclusive privileges （独家特权） to people who had invented new processes （程序） or tools-a step that did much to encourage creativity．Later，an important value was added：society had everything to gain and nothing to lose by giving exclusive privileges to an inventor，because a patent for an invention was given for something new that society never had before．

George Washington signed the first patent law on April 10，1790，and less than four months later，the first patent was given to a man named Samuel Hopkins for a chemical process，an improved method in soap making．

In 1936，the Patent Office became a separate department and it has grown into an organization of over 2，500people who every week deal with more than 1，600patent applications，and of those，give more than 1，000．A patent may be given for any new and useful process，machine，or planning method．

The patent system has also helped to improve the pay of the American worker to an unexpected level； he can produce and earn more by using computers or