节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-10-05
难易度:Medium
关键字:patent, patent, invention, application, concept
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today.
My name is Steve.
Here's a question.
Can you own an idea?
Well, the answer, according to today's lesson, is yes.
If you come up with an idea for a new and useful process, a new machine or an
improvement on an old process or old machine, you can apply for a patent.
And once you get that patent, you officially own your idea.
Moreover, you control the use of that idea.
And if the idea is good enough, you can make some money from it.
So, as you're thinking of some new awesome invention, turn to page 18 and read
with us All About Patents.
(Music).
All About Patents.
Invent something awesome? Apply for a patent!
Maybe you've just invented something better than the iPhone or a solar-powered
car.
You don't want anyone to steal your design.
What should you do?
Patent it!
Patents are the best way to get credit for your work and help others continue
advancing in that field.
Here's what you need to know.
How patents work.
A patent gives you the right to an invention.
The patent protects its owner, which means the invention can't be copied or sold
without their agreement.
In exchange, the owner must reveal information about the invention.
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
My name is Ryan.
Friends, we are now looking at our PATENTS article this month.
This is one of the first PATENTS articles we've had.
And we're talking all about patents.
Well, if we're going to talk about patents, friends, we need to know what a
patent is.
Now a "patent" is a... an official legal right to make or sell an invention
or... for a particular number of years.
So if you create something, if you invent something, and you want the right to
sell that, you need to get a patent.
OK. So if you're inventing something, that means you are making something that
is brand new and unique.
And so if you want to keep that idea, you should apply for a patent.
OK, so All About Patents.
Invent something awesome?
Well, you need to apply for a patent.
But you might not know how that works.
So friends, we're going to look at the process and why it's important and
beneficial for you to do this.
All right.
Now maybe you've just invented something that is better than the iPhone or maybe
a solar-powered car.
Maybe you have an incredible idea.
Now I'm a creative person, but I'm really not an inventor.
So friends, if you are, this is a great way to protect your ideas.
If you're creative enough to come up with something awesome, then you might want
to pay very close attention.
OK, this is more of my expertise here.
I'm pretty good at designing things and making things work.
So maybe if I have an idea, I might apply for a patent, especially if I came up
with a solar-powered car.
Now "solar" refers to the sun.
This has to do with the sun.
So a solar-powered car means the energy is taken from the sun.
You might recognize solar panels on the side of a building.
And that's how they collect energy from the sun.
Maybe you have invented a car that can do this.
Yeah. It can run off of energy from the sun.
That's really cool.
I might want to try that.
But friends, even if you had these ideas or better ones, you don't want anyone
to steal your design, right?
Absolutely. You would not want someone to steal your design.
That means they take your idea, they take your new design, your new concept,
what you've created and use it for themselves.
So what should you do?
You should patent it.
Now you already know what a patent is.
But the verb "patent" means that you apply and get that legal paper that tells
you it is your idea.
OK. So friends, they are spelled the same, the noun and the verb.
You need to pay attention to the sentence to know which form of the word we are
using.
So you can get a "patent." And that would refer to the noun, the actual legal
document.
Or you can go "patent" it.
And that would mean you go through the process.
It's the verb of doing that process.
OK.
Now Kaylah, why would we go and patent an idea?
Well, because patents are the best way to get credit for your work and to help
others continue advancing in that field.
OK. So if you design something or if you invent something, you want to get
credit.
That means that people say that you are the one who did it.
And you also want to help other people advance.
That's right.
To advance means to move forward.
And we have the phrase, in that field.
When we're talking about science, inventions, technology, we're referring to the
area of study.
This word "field" means what they are studying or what it is about.
So what does it fit into?
You want to help them progress.
OK. So here's what you need to know, friends.
Let's talk about first how patents work.
OK.
A patent gives you the right to an invention - this we know.
Ryan, let's go one more time over that word invention.
OK. As we said before, an "invention" is something that has never been made
before and is brand new.
That's right.
It's your idea, and you're making it new.
Now the patent protects its owner, which means the person who has applied for
it.
Exactly.
And it protects their idea, which means the invention cannot be copied or sold
without that person's agreement.
OK. So they have to agree to... to this.
So they have applied for it, you can't copy it.
So in exchange, which means because they have the right to it, what do they have
to give up?
Well, if you're going to patent an idea, first you must reveal the information
about that idea.
You have to say what it is and how it works.
That's right.
You need to tell them.
You have to give that information for them.
And we've got some more information on what it means, what this sentence fully
means with Liz in Grammar on the Go.
And then jump on over to the Chat Room.
Hello, friends.
It's time for Grammar on the Go.
My name is Liz.
I'm in front of Thomas Edison's laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA.
Now Thomas Edison was a very famous inventor who had over 1,000 inventions
patented.
Speaking of patents, that's what our article is about today.
And here's our Grammar Tip sentence.
In exchange, the owner must reveal information about the invention.
Today our Grammar Tip focus is on the phrase at the beginning of the sentence:
in exchange.
This is an idiom that means "in return," specifically do A in order to get B.
In the case of today's sentence, the writer is saying that owners must reveal
information about the invention.
Why?
Owners must reveal information about the... about their intention if they want
the protection that comes from a patent.
They must do A, reveal information if they want B, get protection from patent...
from the patent.
OK. Let's have a look at some example sentences.
Let's say Sandy needs a place to stay.
And Mrs. Franklin is willing to give her a free room if Sandy can help her with
some house chores.
So we can say:
Sandy helps Mrs. Franklin with the chores around the house in exchange for a
place to stay.
Or many college students do interships because they want the experience of being
in a particular professional field.
But in order to get that experience, many students work for free. So we can say:
In an internship position, a student works for free in exchange for first-hand
experience in a professional field.
Now friends, if you have a copy of this month's magazine, be sure to check out
today's Grammar Tip section for more example sentences.
That's it for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Bye-bye.
So Bryan, how long have you been working here at the library?
It's been almost a year.
Can you believe it?
Time really flies.
Well, I just want to thank you for being such a good English teacher.
I owe it all to you.
Come on, Ken.
You should give yourself some credit.
Give myself credit?
What do you mean?
Well, "credit" means recognition for an ability or quality.
I know you work hard in improving your English, Ken.
So it's not just me being a good teacher; you also put in a lot of effort.
So you should give yourself some credit.
I see.
Well, thanks a lot.
You know, it's always a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
Give credit where credit is due?
That's right.
That's a very useful idiom if you want to acknowledge someone for an
accomplishment.
It means to give credit for the work someone has done.
What if a person didn't put in the work but still tells people that he is the
one who accomplished something?
What do we call that?
Well, we can say that that person is trying to take credit for something that
has been done by someone else.
If you don't deserve the credit, you shouldn't take it.
Got it.