Patents are a legal method to protect your rights of ownership.  They are not only available in the United States but are issued from various countries around the world.  Gaining a patent allows the owner to exclude others from using, making, or selling the ivention.  It protects your rights as the owner of the patent. It is important to remember that patents relate to inventions and not ideas.  You can not patent an abstract idea.  The ideal situation is to find a company that will work with you to make your patent a dream come true and bring your invention to the commerical market where it can be used to make money or be used to save money. You can find plenty of patent information through outside sources.