Patent decision

BL number

O/0951/23

Concerning rights in

GB2205210.4

Hearing Officer

Mr B Buchanan

Decision date

5 October 2023

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Shanke Zhao, Chunyu Zhao

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977, section 1(2)(c)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The claimed invention relates to a computer implemented system for making online payment transactions. A so-called “pledgeable payment system” is provided which seeks to improve upon previous online payment systems by creating a system in which buyers and sellers must register as account holders and can purchase pledgeable electronic currency with which they can transact for goods or services. The key to the claimed invention is the separation of an actual payment account from an online transaction account by means of the pledgeable payment. The Hearing Officer applied the four step Aerotel/Macrossan test and considered the AT&T signposts. The contribution reflected the provision of an allegedly safer and less risky way to conduct online transactions, but did not include technical advances in user authentication or security of data communications. The claimed invention was found not to provide the required technical effect and so related solely to a program for a computer and/or a method for doing business as such. The application did not meet the requirements of section 1(2)(c) and was refused under section 18(3).

Full decision O/0951/23 549Kb