A utility patent is a type of patent that covers the creation of a new or improved, useful product, process, or machine. It gives the inventor exclusive commercial rights to producing and utilizing the latest technology for up to 20 years from the date of patent application filing, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. Utility patents are issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and are difficult to obtain. To be patentable, an invention must have some real-world use, and it must provide some identifiable benefit and be capable of use). The utility threshold is relatively easy to satisfy for mechanical, electrical, or novelty inventions, as the purpose of the utility requirement is to ensure that the invention works on some minimal level). Utility patents are different from design patents, which protect the form of a product.