What are the qualifications for a patent?
To be patentable, an invention must be useful, novel and non-obvious. The requirement of usefulness, or utility, is satisfied if the invention is operable and provides a tangible benefit. To be judged novel, the invention must not be fully anticipated by a prior patent, publication or other knowledge within the public domain. A non-obvious invention must not have been readily within the ordinary skills of a competent artisan at the time the invention was made.
