What are expected beneficial results in patent law?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

Expected beneficial results are considered evidence of obviousness in patent law. The MPEP clearly states:

“Expected beneficial results are evidence of obviousness of a claimed invention, just as unexpected results are evidence of unobviousness thereof.” (MPEP 716.02(c))

This means that if the beneficial results of an invention would have been expected based on the prior art, they can be used to support an obviousness rejection. Inventors should be aware that demonstrating expected benefits may not help overcome an obviousness rejection.