Patent decision

BL number

O/018/05

Concerning rights in

GB 0203564.0

Hearing Officer

Mr A Bartlett

Decision date

7 January 2005

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 Section (1)(2) (c)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The application relates to a computer based method for selecting a business partner or supplier based not only on the price reached during a transaction bidding phase, but also on other factors such as the potential partner's production capacity, development capability or their possession of foreign plants. It was held that as the hardware and software techniques necessary to embody the invention were previously known, there was no technical contribution present and the invention amounted to the mere automation of standard purchasing practice. In the absence of any technical contribution the invention was found to be excluded from patentability under section 1(2)(c) of the Act.

Full decision O/018/05 34Kb