Patent decision

BL number

O/142/18

Concerning rights in

GB 1613009.8

Hearing Officer

Mr B Micklewright

Decision date

7 March 2018

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Greydog Ventures Ltd

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 Section 1(2)(c)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The application relates to a computer method for providing a price comparison / price matching service to a user whilst allowing the user to remain anonymous from retailers / service providers. This is achieved through use of a data matching platform remote and independent from retailers, which acts as a trusted intermediary. The data matching platform stores available offers and their corresponding matching rules as submitted by retailers / service providers. The method involves a user submitting an enquiry including and the data matching platform receiving in a secure environment user profile data associated with the user from a secure server. The profile data and matching rules are then compared in the secure environment to generate matches for the user. The profile data is secured at all times and shielded from the retailers / service providers. The invention is said to improve use of such a system as profile data is not shared.

The Hearing Officer applied the Aerotel/Macrossan four step test and considered the reformulated AT&T/CVON signposts and found that the contribution made by the invention fell solely within excluded matter as a business method and a computer program as such. The application was compared with Really Virtual Company Limited’s Application [2013] RPC3 which was refused by the Patents Court. The hearing officer therefore refused the application.

Full decision O/142/18 133Kb