Patent decision

BL number
O/320/16
Concerning rights in
GB 1014179.4
Hearing Officer
Mrs S E Chalmers
Decision date
6 July 2016
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Fisher-Rosemount Systems Inc
Provisions discussed
Patents Act Section 1(2)
Keywords
Excluded fields (refused)
Related Decisions
None

Summary

The invention relates generally to process control systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus to manage testing of a process control system. The contribution was identified to be a method by which process control routines are effectively tested during normal operation while an associated process is running which saves testing time. This is achieved by monitoring operation of the process control routine and determining if this includes execution of a portion of the process control routine that is substantially similar to a test to be performed.

The Hearing Officer applied the four step approach set out in Aerotel/Macrossan in the light of the Symbian, AT&T and HTC judgments and found that the invention was excluded as a program for a computer as such. The application was refused.

Full decision O/320/16 PDF document89Kb