utility n. (1)(专利法)实用性；有用性 在专利法中，指专利发明的有用性〔usefulness〕。为获得专利，申请人须证明其发明具有某种有益于社会的功能，即该发明不仅具有实际上的可实施性〔operability〕，并且其功能不属明显的违法。它与新颖性〔novelty〕、非显而易见性〔non-obviousness〕共同构成发明可获得专利的条件。 (2)功用；效用；功利 指具有有益于社会的功能品质。 (3)公用事业；公用事业企业 指以实现实质性的公共服务为目的的企业，其业务受政府监管。亦作「public utility」。
utility. 1. The quality of serving some function that benefits society; meritoriousness. 2. Patents. Capacity to perform a function or attain a result claimed for protection as intellectual property. • In patent law, utility is one of the three basic requirements of patentability, the others being nonobviousness and novelty. In the calculation of damages for