3.9 Combination of elements in a claim 

For claims characterised by a combination of elements (e.g. A, B and C), the search is aimed at finding prior art relating to the combination. However, when searching the parts of the documentation selected for this, the search division should also search them for sub-combinations, including the elements individually (e.g. A and B, A and C, B and C, and also A, B and C separately). Other parts of the documentation are searched either for sub-combinations or for individual elements of the combination only if this is still necessary for establishing the novelty of the element in order to assess whether the combination involves an inventive step.