Patent decision

BL number

O/315/12

Concerning rights in

GB1001729.1

Hearing Officer

Mr B Buchanan

Decision date

16 August 2012

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Innovation Science Pty Limited

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977 section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention relates to a method and system for determining the possible location and timing of objects, including people and packages, in a transportation network. Objects joining and leaving the network are detected by sensors such as ticket barriers, number plate recognition and biometric or image recognition means. Using information relating to the network about nodes (e.g. stations or depots), paths (e.g. routes between nodes) and timings (e.g. scheduled timetable or actual transition times), the invention determines the potential whereabouts or journey characteristics of objects within the network within a time frame.

The Hearing Officer considered the four-step test in Aerotel/Macrossan in the light of the Symbian judgment, and found the contribution to relate to a mathematical method, a method for doing business and a program for a computer as such, and having found no technical contribution refused the application under Section 18(3).

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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2012/o31512.html