A patent office is a government agency responsible for granting patents to inventors and businesses. It examines patent applications to ensure that the inventions are new, useful, and non-obvious. Once a patent is granted, it gives the inventor exclusive rights to their invention for a certain period, typically 20 years. In addition to granting patents, the patent office also maintains a database of existing patents, which helps prevent duplicate inventions. This office plays a crucial role in promoting innovation by protecting intellectual property, allowing inventors to benefit from their creations without the fear of unauthorized use by others.