11.1.16 Person of Ordinary Skill is a legal term used to refer to an individual with average knowledge and experience in a particular field. It is used in patent law to determine the level of understanding that the public would have of a particular invention. There are two types of 11.1.16 Person of Ordinary Skill: the professional person of ordinary skill (PROS) and the non-professional person of ordinary skill (NP POS). The PROS are someone with a degree, certification, or professional experience in the field in which the invention is claimed. The NP POS is an individual with sufficient knowledge and experience in the field to understand and use the invention, but without any formal credentials.