My understanding of the difference between a patent and a trademark is certainly not a legal definition. I am not a lawyer, so if you need legal answers to trademark questions, you should probably consult a lawyer or the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Anyhow, the way I understand it is that a patent is issued from the U. S. government and gives you the property rights to an invention that no one else in the United States can make or market.

Trademarks cover the word, name, symbol or a combination of these that identify a certain product as being manufactured by a specific source or manufacturer. Again, please remember, these are not official definitions.