Patent decision

BL number

O/386/12

Concerning rights in

GB0907144.0

Hearing Officer

Mr H Jones

Decision date

11 October 2012

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

JDA Software Group, Inc.

Provisions discussed

Section 1(2)(c)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The application relates to a method of determining a transportation plan for delivery of goods and retrieval of associated salvage equipment, e.g. pallets, cages, containers, throughout a transportation network. The network may comprise a number of distribution centres, supplier locations, stores and delivery locations, and the aim of the invention is to optimise the scheduling of fleet operations for the delivery of goods and the collection of salvage equipment once the goods have been delivered and unloaded. The method involves the modelling of a virtual location as a destination for salvage equipment and in constraining the virtual location to be at a zero distance from a de-kit location and an infinite distance from other locations. The modelling is undertaken by computer and a transportation plan is developed in the form of delivery schedules for fleet operators. The Hearing Officer found that the invention relates to a program for a computer and refused the application.

Full decision O/386/12 87Kb