patent
noun
the exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He had invented her and was patenting her.
From We Can't Have Everything by Rupert Hughes