DEFINITION of 'Patent'. A government license that gives the holder exclusive rights to a process, design or new invention for a designated period of time. Applications for patents are usually handled by a government agency.In the U.S. the United States Patent and Trademark Office handles application and documentation.Next Up. government license that gives the holder exclusive rights to a process, design or new invention for a designated period of time. Applications for patents are usually handled by a government agency. In the U.S. the United States Patent and Trademark Office handles application and documentation. Next Up.
Below are more specifics on how the rule works: 1  The time frame to exercise the Birthday Rule is 30 days following your birthday. 2  You can change to another plan, as long as it is of equal of lesser coverage level.  In order to take advantage of this rule, you must already have a Medicare Supplement plan.
Special circumstances (Special Enrollment Periods) You can make changes to your Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug coverage when certain events happen in your life, like if you move or you lose other insurance coverage. These chances to make changes are called Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs). Rules about when you can make changes and the type of changes you can make are different for each SEP.