#EPO – Can you combine three documents for inventive step?

When the teachings of three documents are combined, this has to be done – in circumstances such as the present ones – step by step, i.e. in a first step, the teaching of another document is combined on the basis of the teaching or embodiment of the closest state of the art. In a second step, it must then be examined whether the skilled person would also combine the result of this combination with the teaching of the third document.

In doing so, the context of the initial situation, as well as the complexity and specific technical context of each document or embodiment, has to be taken into account.

https://www.epo.org/en/boards-of-appeal/decisions/t230412eu1