Is the Subject Matter of Your Invention Eligible for Patenting?

• Published in: Chemical engineering progress Vol. 112; no. 12; p. 29
• Main Author: Heines, M Henry
• Format: Magazine Article Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York American Institute of Chemical Engineers 01.12.2016
• Subjects: Chemical engineering; Data processing; Electric power; Electric power grids; Electricity distribution; Federal court decisions; Inventions; Inventors; Monitoring; Public policy; Sensors; Trials; Utilities

The cornerstones of patentability are novelty, utility, and nonobviousness. A fourth requirement, however, and one that inventors and patent holders face with increasing frequency, is subject matter eligibility. As a matter of public policy, inventions that are essentially laws of nature, natural ph...