A patent is a set of rights granted by a government to an inventor.
Patent may also refer to: Letters patent, a type of legal instrument issued by a monarch or president Land patent, a land grant, such as in a patented mining claim Patent leather, a shiny form of leather Patent medicine, a medical compound of questionable effectiveness Patent bet, in the UK, a type of wager A botanical term
See also Plant Patent Act of 1930, legislation allowing plant breeds to be patented in the United States