Conditions to Fulfill
"An invention must, in general, fulfill the following conditions to be protected by a
patent. It must be of practical use; it must show an element of novelty, that is, some new characteristicwhich is not known in the body of existing knowledge in its technical field. […] The invention must show an inventive step which could not be deduced by a person with average knowledge of the technical field. Finally, its subject matter must be accepted as "patentable" under law. In many countries, scientific theories, mathematical methods, plant or animal varieties, discoveries of natural substances, commercial methods, or methods for medical treatment (as opposed to medical products) are generally not patentable."
(World Intellectual Property Organization,
What is a Patent?, visited 2011-08-09)