Patent decision

BL number

O/0858/25

Concerning rights in

GB2217428.8

Hearing Officer

Mr S Brown

Decision date

18 September 2025

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Jinko Solar Co. Ltd.

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977 Section 1(1)

Keywords

Inventive step

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The application concerns a solar module comprising multiple solar cells of a particular size, electrode lines which connect solar cells, busbars, contact pads and encapsulation layers. The application relates to balancing the electrical efficiency gained by using larger numbers of bus bars and wider electrode lines with the costs associated with using more material.

The hearing Officer applied the teaching of SABAF and decided that there was only a single inventive concept. He then applied the Windsurfing/Pozzoli test in respect of five separate citations and concluded that the sole independent claim was novel and inventive.

The application was remitted to the examiner.

Full decision O/0858/25 216Kb