# Obviousness

A grounds for rejection under 35 USC § 103 when an invention, while not identical to any single prior art reference, would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention. Examiners frequently combine two or more prior art references to make an obviousness rejection. It is the single most common rejection in patent prosecution.

**Full entry:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary/obviousness

**All patent terms:** https://patentbrief.org/glossary

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. A plain-English glossary of US patent terms._