Patent decision

BL number

O/349/12

Concerning rights in

GB 0917061.4

Hearing Officer

Mr A Bartlett

Decision date

17 September 2012

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Mitac International Corporation

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977 section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention concerns the display of points of interest around a location on the screen of a navigation device. In urban areas a large number of such points often need to be displayed which can lead to a cluttered display. In order to make the display less cluttered the icons representing the points of interest around a point on a map selected by touching the screen are arranged in an easy to read pattern pattern by creating lines or polygons around the centre point and locating the icons on the line or shape. Once a “touch removal” event occurs the icons continue to be displayed for a predetermined time period.

The Hearing Officer considered the four-step test in Aerotel/Macrossan in the light of the Symbian judgment, and found the contribution to relate to the presentation of information and/or a program for a computer as such, and having applied the signposts of AT&T CVON found no technical contribution and refused the application under Section 18(3).