Patent-Eligible Subject Matter (Sec. 101). The patent is granted upon the new machine, manufacture, etc., as has been said, and not upon the idea or suggestion. Each patent application has several forms that must be filled out and submitted. A list of these forms can be found here. The first is whether it is possible to obtain a patent on an invention that involves a combination of known, "off-the-shelf" parts. The patent term for design patents in the United States is 15 years from the date of the grant. Unnecessary use of compounded drugs may expose patients to potentially serious health risks.