Question

A student group designs a unique school bag that converts into a 'study table' for students in rural areas . Concerned about protecting their idea before publishing it online, they consult a mentor about the patenting process . The mentor explains the difference between a utility patent and a design patent, and walks them through the basic steps .
Differentiate between design and utility patents . Also, describe the steps involved in filing a design patent in India .

Hint:

To protect a converting product like the students' bag-table, the best strategy is a dual-filing approach: file a utility patent to protect the transforming hinge mechanism and a design patent to protect the unique visual style and shape . This ensures complete intellectual property protection.

Answer 1