Combining Old Inventions to Patent a New One: Is the Whole Better Than the Sum of its Parts?
The answer depends on whether combining existing inventions creates new and unexpected results. This satisfies the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's requirement that an invention be novel and unobvious. Novelty and unobviousness can be achieved if the components cooperate to achieve a benefit that the components could not achieve alone.
For example, combining a pencil with an eraser on the end offers the benefit of writing compositions faster than if the pencil and eraser were separate components. The advantages of the pencil cooperate with the advantages of the eraser to provide an additional benefit when they are combined.
However, the combination of your toothbrush, your comb, and your nail clippers do not cooperate to offer something more than if you used each item individually.
In effect, if your creation involves combining separate inventions, you could be eligible for patent registration if your invention as a whole offers more benefits than do the sum of its parts.
Labels: inventions, novelty, patents, unobvious
