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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions >> The Wandsworth Group Limited (Patent) [2007] UKIntelP o35007 (28 November 2007)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2007/o35007.html
Cite as: [2007] UKIntelP o35007
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The Wandsworth Group Limited [2007] UKIntelP o35007 (28 November 2007)
For the whole decision click here: o35007
Patent decision
- BL number
- O/350/07
- Concerning rights in
- GB 0424542.9
- 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.