Patent decision

BL number

O/350/07

Concerning rights in

GB0424542.9

Hearing Officer

Mr R C Kennell

Decision date

28 November 2007

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

The Wandsworth Group Limited

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 Section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (allowed)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention was a digital system allowing direct bedside access to services and medical records over a single network by both hospital patients and staff. Applying the test in Aerotel [2006] EWCA Civ 1371, the examiner had considered the contribution over the prior art to be excluded as a computer program or business method because it appeared to be nothing more than a trivial programming step or a decision to provide a particular type of service. However, in the light of amendments proposed at the hearing and subsequently, the hearing officer considered the contribution to be the allowance of direct access by a user at a head end of the system, which included a user server/personal computer at the bedside; this did not lie solely in excluded areas and was technical. The hearing officer therefore remitted the application to the examiner to continue substantive examination.

Full decision O/350/07 37Kb