Patent and Trademark Office, the
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishPatent and Trademark Office, thethe Patent and Trademark OfficeˌPatent and ˈTrademark ˌOffice, the (abbreviation PTO, USPTO) the US government department that decides which new inventions can be given a patent (=the right to make and sell a new invention). There is a similar department in the UK called the Patent Office.