In the context of patent law, what is true about inherent characteristics in prior art?

Inherent characteristics in prior art are critical during the patent examination process. These characteristics may not be explicitly described within the prior art but are understood to exist based on the nature of the art itself. If a claim is rejected based on inherent characteristics, it typically means that the claimed invention as presented fails to meet the requirements of novelty or non-obviousness because the inherent characteristics of the prior art demonstrate that the combination of elements or features in the claim already exists or is easily deduced.

For instance, if a patent claim is for a product that has a specific property, and prior art inherently exhibits that property, the claim may be rejected because the characteristic inherently disclosed by the prior art renders the claimed invention unpatentable. This rejection arises from the understanding that the inherent features of the prior art already encompass the idea captured in the claim, thus failing to satisfy the uniqueness requirement essential for patentability.