1. An alliance of individuals or corporations working together to accomplish a common (usu. economic) goal. See COMBINATION IN RESTRAINT OF TRADE .
2. CONSPIRACY.
3. STRADDLE.
4. Patents. A union of old and new elements in an invention. • The term encompasses not only a combination of mechanical elements but also a combination of substances in a composition claim or steps in a process claim. Cf. AGGREGATION. [Cases: Patents 26. C.J.S. Patents §§ 83–84.]
5. Patents. An invention that uses two or more patented inventions to make a distinct and useful third product. • In the past, an inventor seeking a combination patent had to show “synergism,” a surprising result from the combination. But the Federal Circuit ruled that the term “combination” has no legal effect because most inventions combine and build on existing technology. Today there are no special rules for combination patents.
6. Patents. A union of elements in an invention that work together cooperatively to perform a useful function; the opposite of an aggregation. Cf. AGGREGATION.
exhausted combination. See old combination.
old combination. A combination in which an element works in a different way but performs the same function as the corresponding element in a previously patented combination. • The new element may be patentable, but the combination may not be.
— Also termed exhausted combination.
