Patent decision

BL number

O/184/06

Concerning rights in

GB2397920

Hearing Officer

Mr S Probert

Decision date

3 July 2006

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

British Telecommunications Plc

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 Sections 1(2)(d), 1(2)(c), 1(1)(b), 3. Article 52 EPC

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused), Inventive step

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The claimed invention was a method of visually representing the state of a communications network on a display, using (in combination) an expandable/collapsible tree structure, and indication gauges to represent the state of selected components of the network.

The Hearing Officer used the test for patentability as set out RiM v Inpro, ie. 'Taking the claims correctly construed, what does the claimed invention contribute to the art outside excluded subject matter?' The contribution to the art was a way of visually representing data to the eye; one that enabled the human mind to assimilate the content of the data more quickly.. Although in the specific embodiments claimed, the data represented the state of a communications network, this did not impart any technical advantage to the invention. The only contribution to the art fell entirely within excluded subject matter i.e. presentation of information. Although a computer program was used, there was no contribution to the art in the field of computer programs.

The invention was also found to lack an inventive step.

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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2006/o18406.html