Process patents are an important class of patents, as many inventions are best-defined, or most clearly patentable, as processes. In many cases, a well-crafted process claim can keep the most threatening competitors at bay and be highly lucrative via licensing and generating royalty income.
A process is considered patentable if something new or changed in the process produces an unexpected (non-obvious) result, such as higher yield, improved product quality, lower operating costs, or longer equipment lifetime. For example, a patentable process could be a novel combination of existing process steps, a change in the order of steps, the addition of a step to an established step sequence, the elimination of a step previously thought necessary, or the use of a material or substance that is new to the process. Certain processes are not manufacturing processes at all, but instead services that do not directly produce a tangible product...
Would you like to access the complete CEP Article?
No problem. You just have to complete the following steps.
You have completed 0 of 2 steps.
-
Log in
You must be logged in to view this content. Log in now.
-
AIChE Membership
You must be an AIChE member to view this article. Join now.
Copyright Permissions
Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.