Quantum Corporation (Patent) [2012] UKIntelP o44212 (14 November 2012)
Patent decision
BL number
O/442/12
Concerning rights in
GB1021747.9
Hearing Officer
Mr P Thorpe
Decision date
14 November 2012
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Quantum Corporation
Provisions discussed
Patents Act 1977 Section 1(2)
Keywords
Excluded fields (refused)
Related Decisions
None
Summary
The application related to method of storing data in a computer. The method relied on de-duplication of the data such that only one copy of the data is stored. If an attempt is made to store a further copy of the same data then instead of storing that same data again, a pointer to the first copy of the data is stored instead. The invention applied different de-duplication methodologies depending on certain characteristics of the data.
Applying the Aerotel/Macrossan test, the hearing officer decided that the contribution made by the invention fell solely within excluded matter. The application was refused as being a progam for a computer as such.