Patent decision

BL number

O/0557/24

Concerning rights in

GB2016890.2

Hearing Officer

Dr L Cullen

Decision date

18 June 2024

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977; Section 1(2)(c)

Keywords

Excluded fields (allowed)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention concerns a method of video surveillance in which search results from multiple metadata databases are collated and new video clips are created from overlapping search results to present the user with the most relevant results.

The Hearing Officer (HO), following the four-step approach set down in Aerotel, found that the contribution lay in an improved video surveillance system that presents the operator with a reduced number of search results that shows only those outcomes which combine at least two of the search criteria from the multiple metadata database search. These overlapping results are easily understandable from the accompanying thumbnail image.

The HO considered the AT&T signposts, as modified in HTC, and found that, in this instance, the first of the signposts suggested a technical effect as the invention made a contribution to a technical video surveillance process. The HO concluded that the invention as claimed is not excluded from patentability under section 1(2)(c) as a program for a computer. The application was remitted to the examiner to continue the examination process under Section 18 of the Act.

Full decision O/0557/24 301Kb