Utility (disambiguation)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The word utility has several meanings:

• In economics and game theory, utility is a measure of the happiness or satisfaction gained from a good or service.
• A utility program or utility software is a software program that functions for a particular purpose.
• In United States patent law, utility (usefulness) is one of the requirements for patentability.
• In the game of baseball, utility players are players who play more than one position regularly.
• A term used in Australia and New Zealand to refer to a pickup truck or Coupe utility vehicle
• The term utilities refers collectively to specific universally needed services or commodities that are provided to homes and businesses through passive connections to larger systems, and are usually billed separately to the owner or tenant. Namely electric power, natural gas, drinking water, and sewage collection. The term sometimes extends to include telecommunications, roads and highways, postal service, sanitation (garbage collection), and public transport.
• A utility company is in the business of providing utilities to homes and businesses. For example, the local or regional electric utility in the electrical power industry, gas company, water company, sewage treatment plant. The term sometimes extends to the telecommunications companies, but not to the highway department, post office, delivery services, sanitation department, waste management companies, or public transport systems. Utility companies are usually regulated or government-owned.
• Public utility is a broader term, encompassing companies that maintain the infrastructure for one or more public services.