Patent decision

BL number
O/075/06
Concerning rights in
GB 0323776.5
Hearing Officer
Mr H Jones
Decision date
23 March 2006
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Elliot Klein
Provisions discussed
PA. 1977 Sections 1(1)(b). 1(2)(c)
Keywords
Excluded fields (refused), Inventive step
Related Decisions
None

Summary

The application relates to a computer system for retrieving lost property and to a method for encouraging registration of warranty and ownership details of consumer products. The owner of a consumer product is encouraged to register the warranty and ownership details at the time of purchase by being offered entry into a lost product return service. The lost product return service relies on a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with a product and the tag having a printed label advertising a reward for return of the product to a return address. At the return address, the RFID tag is scanned and a database accessed to identify the product’s owner; the database may be provided at a remote location and accessed via the Internet. The product is then returned to the owner, who is charged for the service.

In light of prior art documents relating to the recovery of lost items by the use of bar codes, the Hearing Officer found that claims relating to the computer system did not involve an inventive step. The Hearing Officer applied the test for patentability set out by the High Court in CFPH LLC's Application [2005] EWHC 1589 (Pat.), and found that the remaining claims relating to encouraging registration of warranty and ownership details related to a purely financial consideration and therefore excluded as a method of doing business.

Full decision O/075/06 PDF document34Kb