Legal Definitions - useful

In the context of patent law, an invention is considered useful if it possesses a practical application and serves an intelligent, identifiable purpose. This means the invention must be capable of doing something real and tangible, rather than being merely a theoretical concept, a curiosity, or something that lacks any real-world function. It must work practically to achieve its stated purpose, especially when considered for use in industry or daily life.

• Example 1: A New Medical Diagnostic Tool

  Scenario: A biotechnology company develops a novel handheld device that can quickly and accurately detect specific biomarkers for a common disease from a small saliva sample, providing results within minutes outside of a traditional lab setting.

  Explanation: This diagnostic tool would be considered useful because it has a clear practical application: enabling rapid disease detection and improving patient care. It serves an intelligent purpose by offering a tangible solution to a medical need, demonstrating its utility in a real-world healthcare context.

• Example 2: An Energy-Efficient Building Material

  Scenario: An architect invents a new composite material for exterior building walls that significantly reduces heat transfer, leading to a substantial decrease in heating and cooling costs for structures built with it.

  Explanation: This building material is useful because it offers a practical application in construction and energy conservation. It addresses a real-world problem (energy inefficiency) with a tangible solution that provides a specific, beneficial outcome (reduced utility costs), demonstrating its utility in an industrial and consumer context.

• Example 3: A Software for Data Optimization

  Scenario: A software engineer creates a new algorithm and accompanying program that can analyze large datasets from manufacturing processes and automatically identify inefficiencies, suggesting precise adjustments to improve production yield by 15%.

  Explanation: This software is useful because it provides a practical application for industrial optimization. It serves an intelligent purpose by offering a tangible solution to a common business challenge (improving efficiency and yield) and delivers a real-world benefit to manufacturers, demonstrating its utility in a practical, industrial setting.