Patent decision

BL number

O/136/16

Concerning rights in

GB1300966.7 (GB2508934) & GB1322120.5 (GB2509394)

Hearing Officer

Mr B Buchanan

Decision date

15 March 2016

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Micro Focus IP Development Ltd

Provisions discussed

Section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

This decision covers two applications, both entitled “Interfacing systems and methods”. The first relates to a system for extracting text-based information from a host computer system which presents a text-based user interface. The application claims a method, system and computer program which uses rules-based configuration of components to determine, combine and present visual control objects, such as selection boxes, tables and location information within a graphical user interface. The usability and intuitive interaction by a user with the system is thereby improved. This “emulation” of the underlying host application is achieved without changing the host code or infrastructure and user input may be constrained to formatted options. The integrity of data and business rules is thereby maintained. The second application is divided from the first and additionally displays the user interface on remote devices using web sockets for asynchronous communication over a network. The Hearing Officer carefully considered the patent applications, the arguments and explanation presented at the hearing and identified the alleged contribution. However, he was obliged to consider only those features which were supported by each application when construing the claims. Neither application was found to relate to the presentation of information, but both were refused as excluded subject matter because they related only to a program for a computer as such.