Patent decision

BL number

O/596/15

Concerning rights in

GB1205649.5

Hearing Officer

Mrs C L Davies

Decision date

18 December 2015

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

The Chamberlain Group, Inc

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 Section 1(1)(b)

Keywords

Inventive step

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The application relates to apparatus for a moveable barrier system where the moveable barrier is networked to other devices, and to a method of operating the same. The apparatus requires a gateway device which controls communication between devices in the network and is capable of interpreting and generating rolling code based signals such that correct operation of the networked devices occurs. The apparatus also requires a check on a device such as a safety edge, dock light, dock leveller, trailer lock, edge guard, dock seal, dock bumper, microwave sensor, or loop detector. The method claim is the direct method of operating the apparatus and as such, it is only necessary to consider, in depth, the apparatus claim.

The Hearing Officer found, on applying the Windsurfing/Pozzoli test, that claims 1 and 14 (filed with skeleton arguments dated 16th October 2015) contain an inventive step over the prior art D1 and common general knowledge and remitted the application to the examiner for processing towards grant, on the requirement that the applicant formally files claimset 1-34 (filed with skeleton arguments dated 16th October 2015) and amendments to bring the application into line with that claimset.

Full decision O/596/15 94Kb