2010年9月1日USPTO公告新版顯而易見性審查指南2010 KSR GuidelinesUpdate,其內容並自公告日起開始生效。新版指南歸納KSR v. Teleflex案及3年來美國聯邦巡迴上訴法院(US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit,Fed. Cir.)相關判例,摘錄其法院詮釋,註記實務審查要點,並要求USPTO審查人員參照2007年編寫的舊有審查指南2007 KSR Guidelines,以於審查專利申請案顯而易見性問題時作成應有的判斷。而此次新版指南又整理出20件判例,分別用以說明前述第1、2、5項參考指標的運用方式。另外也篩選4件判例,說明相關證據的考慮原則。這一期的智權報會先介紹有關「先前技術元件的組合」和「習知元件的簡單置換」兩部分共13件判例之教示重點;
The highly anticipated Bilski vs. Kappos case was recently decided and the result is... still unclear. But despite some claims that the decision has merely increased ambiguity over the validity of software and business method patents, some, including NAIP Patent Engineer Daniel Gross, believe that the decision is actually the beginning of the end for these types of patents.