Patent decision
- BL number
- O/429/22
- Concerning rights in
- GB2468976B
- Hearing Officer
- Mr P Thorpe
- Decision date
- 17 May 2022
- Person(s) or Company(s) involved
- SRJ Limited and SRJ Technologies Group PLC and Per-Christian Irgens
- Provisions discussed
- Patents Act S 72
- Keywords
- Added subject matter, Inventive step, Novelty, Revocation, Sufficiency
- Related Decisions
- None
Summary
The patent relates to a flange clamp which can be used to enable bolts in an existing bolted flange coupling to be removed or replaced without releasing the pressure in the bolted flange coupling. This is often referred to as hot-bolting particularly where the bolts are replaced in a piping system that is still pressurised. The Hearing Officer found 4 of the 7 claims to be invalid for lack of novelty or inventive step. An attack on the basis that amendments during examination added matter and that the specification does not disclose the invention clearly enough was rejected. The patentee was given the opportunity to amend the patent.
Full decision O/429/22 
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