In order for a claimed invention to be patentable it must be a new, useful, and a non-obvious improvement over any other previous invention. A prior art reference includes any form of published information such as patents, publications and the like, relevant to novelty and obviousness. An invention taught, suggested or motivated in a prior art reference it is not novel and therefore not patentable. The words “taught, suggested or motivated” are terms used by the U.S. federal courts when analyzing whether prior art invalidates a patent.
