Patent decision

BL number

O/198/13

Concerning rights in

GB 1103866.8

Hearing Officer

Mrs S E Chalmers

Decision date

14 May 2013

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

WMS Gaming Inc

Provisions discussed

PA 1977, Section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention relates to the creation of wagering games. It works by providing a development computer which is operable to break down a wagering game into various parts (“widgets”) and output a game logic widget, a presentation engine widget and an aesthetic assets widget. The wagering game editor operating on a user’s computer is able, under the control of a user, to allow the user to select widgets from various widget palettes. The editor is then able to determine if a selected presentation engine widget is compatible with a selected aesthetic assets widget and also determine if a selected presentation widget is compatible with a selected game logic widget. If both comparisons are positive, then the widgets are assembled into a wagering game and transmitted back to the development computer and can be made available to the devices of other users. The game developer can thus use the creativity of the user community to create new games.

The Hearing Officer applied the four step test set out in Aerotel/Macrossan in the light of the Symbian, AT&T and Halliburton judgments. She found the invention as claimed was excluded under Section 1(2) because it related solely to excluded matter, namely to a computer program and a business method as such. The application was refused.