| WHAT IS A PATENTABLE
INVENTION?
Patent law states that the invention must be "New", "Useful",
"Non-obvious" and "Enabling." In the broadest sense,
the "New" or novelty requirement states that the technology
must not have been available to the public prior to the patent application
being filed. The requirement for "Useful" or utility states
that a technology must have a useful purpose and perform the intended
purpose. The "Enabling" requirement states that the technology
be described in sufficient detail and in the "best mode of practice"
known at the time the patent application is filed. "Non-obviousness"
means that a person with "ordinary skill in the art" would not
be likely to develop the same invention knowing all there was to know
in the prior art. Of all the requirements, this is the most difficult
requirement to satisfy, as it is a theoretical standard. |