Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co.

Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co.
Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co.
	Supreme Court of the United States
Argued November 10, 1969; Decided December 8, 1969
Full case name	Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co., Inc.
Citations	396 U.S. 57 (more) 90 S. Ct. 305; 24 L. Ed. 2d 258; 1969 U.S. LEXIS 3322; 163 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 673
Case history
Prior	Pavement Salvage Co. v. Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc., 308 F. Supp. 941 (S.D.W. Va. 1967); reversed, 404 F.2d 450 (4th Cir. 1968); cert. granted, 394 U.S. 916 (1969).
Holding
	When old elements are combined in a way such that they do not interact in a novel, unobvious way, then the resulting combination is obvious and therefore unpatentable.
Court membership
	Chief Justice Warren E. Burger Associate Justices Hugo Black · William O. Douglas; John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.; Potter Stewart · Byron White; Thurgood Marshall
Case opinion
Majority	Douglas, joined by Black, Harlan, Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall
	Burger took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.

Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co., 396 U.S. 57 (1969), is a 1969 decision of the United States Supreme Court on the legal standard governing the obviousness of claimed inventions. It stands for the proposition that, when old elements are combined in a way such that they do not interact in a novel, unobvious way, then the resulting combination is obvious and therefore unpatentable.

Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co.
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued November 10, 1969 Decided December 8, 1969
Full case name	Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc. v. Pavement Salvage Co., Inc.
Citations	396 U.S. 57 (more) 90 S. Ct. 305; 24 L. Ed. 2d 258; 1969 U.S. LEXIS 3322; 163 U.S.P.Q. (BNA) 673
Case history
Prior	Pavement Salvage Co. v. Anderson's-Black Rock, Inc., 308 F. Supp. 941 (S.D.W. Va. 1967); reversed, 404 F.2d 450 (4th Cir. 1968); cert. granted, 394 U.S. 916 (1969).
Holding
When old elements are combined in a way such that they do not interact in a novel, unobvious way, then the resulting combination is obvious and therefore unpatentable.
Court membership
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger Associate Justices Hugo Black · William O. Douglas John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr. Potter Stewart · Byron White Thurgood Marshall
Case opinion
Majority	Douglas, joined by Black, Harlan, Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall
Burger took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.