Patent decision

BL number
O/0035/23
Concerning rights in
GB2003182.9
Hearing Officer
Mr B Micklewright
Decision date
13 January 2023
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Provisions discussed
Patents Act 1977 section 1 (1)(b)
Keywords
Inventive step
Related Decisions
None

Summary

The invention related to a leakage circuit breaker which integrates a leakage protection module and a circuit breaker module. The difference between the inventive concept and the cited prior art related to the specific layout of the components of the device. The hearing officer found that, on the basis of the evidence before him, benefits of the invention included minimising power consumption and reducing temperature rise. He found that the inventive concept would not have been obvious to try in the light of the cited prior art and the common general knowledge of the skilled person. He therefore concluded that the claimed invention involved an inventive step and referred the application back to the examiner for further processing.

Full decision O/0035/23 PDF document967Kb