Freely Available British and Irish Public Legal Information
[Home] [Databases] [World Law] [Multidatabase Search] [Help] [Feedback]
United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions
You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions >> Welland Medical Ltd (Patent) [2011] UKIntelP o18611 (2 June 2011)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2011/o18611.html
Cite as: [2011] UKIntelP o18611
[New search] [Printable PDF version] [Help]
Welland Medical Ltd [2011] UKIntelP o18611 (2 June 2011)
For the whole decision click here: o18611
Patent decision
- BL number
- O/186/11
- Concerning rights in
- GB 2432120
- Hearing Officer
- Mr S Probert
- Decision date
- 2 June 2011
- Person(s) or Company(s) involved
- Welland Medical Ltd
- Provisions discussed
- Section 3
- Keywords
- Inventive step
- Related Decisions
- None
Summary
The invention concerns a sealing support for an ostomy bag. The prior art was a very similar application from a company in the same group as the applicant. In the prior art, the support used a hydrocolloid adhesive, such as would typically be used on a flange of the ostomy bag to attach it to the body. Hydrocolloid adhesives are very good at adhering things (such as collection bags) to the human body, but when exposed to water for prolonged periods (eg. in the shower), the hydrocolloid saturates, and the seal deteriorates.
The inventive concept was the use of a silicone adhesive layer on the support (instead of hydrocolloid), to protect the edge of the hydrocolloid flange of the ostomy bag from water ingress. The hearing officer considered that using a silicone adhesive instead of hydrocolloid (or acrylic adhesive, which was also part of the state of the art) would not have required an inventive step, having regard to the common general knowledge that adhesives come in many different forms, including silicone.
The application was refused.