Mr Giesbers is not the first to invent a collapsible container.

吉斯·贝斯先生不是第一个发明可折叠集装箱的人。

youdao

However, prior to 2013, patents were granted on a "first to invent" basis, meaning whoever could prove they invented the idea first would have rights to the patent.

但在2013年之前，这个标准是“先发明者得”。也就是说，谁能证明自己首先提出了相关想法，谁就能取得专利权。

youdao

He did not invent jeans. But he is considered the first person to manufacture and sell this kind of clothing in large amounts.

VOA: special.2009.12.18

In other words, the first inventor to file an application for an invention gets the patent, not the first person to invent something.

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The America Invents Act, signed into law in September, will transition the patent application process from the first-to-invent system, to the new first-to-file system.

FORBES: Inventors: Take Heed Of The Revised U.S. Patent Law

Reform would bring the U.S. patent system in line with the rest of the world by granting patents on a "first-to-file" rather than a "first-to-invent" basis.

FORBES: Magazine Article