Selection inventions deal with the selection of individual elements, sub-sets, or sub-ranges, which have not been explicitly mentioned, within a larger known set or range.
The meaning of "narrow" and "sufficiently far removed" has to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
As to overlapping ranges or numerical ranges of physical parameters, novelty is destroyed by an explicitly mentioned end-point of the known range, explicitly mentioned intermediate values or a specific example of the prior art in the overlap. It is not sufficient to exclude specific novelty-destroying values known from the prior-art range, it must also be considered whether the skilled person, in the light of the technical facts and taking into account the general knowledge in the field, would seriously contemplate applying the technical teaching of the prior-art document in the range of overlap. If it can be fairly assumed that the skilled person would do so, it must be concluded that no novelty exists. In T 26/85, the skilled person could not seriously contemplate working in the area of overlap, since the prior art surprisingly contained a reasoned statement that clearly dissuades from choosing said range, although the latter was claimed in said prior art.
As far as overlapping chemical formulae are concerned, novelty is acknowledged if the claimed subject-matter is distinguished from the prior art in the range of overlap by a new technical element (new technical teaching), see T 12/90, point 2.6 of the reasons, for example a specifically selected chemical residue which is covered in general terms by the prior art in the overlapping area, but which is not individualised in the prior-art document. If this is not the case, then it must be considered whether the skilled person would seriously contemplate working in the range of overlap and/or would accept that the area of overlap is directly and unambiguously disclosed in an implicit manner in the prior art (see for example T 536/95). If the answer is yes, then novelty is lacking.
The concept of "seriously contemplating" is fundamentally different from the concept used for assessing inventive step, namely whether the skilled person "would have tried, with reasonable expectation of success", to bridge the technical gap between a particular piece of prior art and a claim whose inventiveness is in question (see G‑VII, 5.3), because in order to establish anticipation, there cannot be such a gap (T 666/89).
Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/guidelines/e/g_vi_8.htm
Date retrieved: 17 May 2021