Patent decision

BL number

O/449/21

Concerning rights in

GB1620562.7

Hearing Officer

Mr P Mason

Decision date

16 June 2021

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Dr. Nes Irvine

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977 Section 14(5)(b)

Keywords

Claim construction, Clarity

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention relates to a method of operating a graphical user interface (GUI) provided on a touch screen device such as a smart phone. The method relates to performing an operation solely by a user touching a predetermined area on a touch component of the device. The method additionally relates to a process of reassigning an operation to a predetermined touch via a text input.

The hearing officer considered whether the amended claim clearly defined the scope of the invention as required by Section 14(5)(b), and whether the invention involves an inventive step as required by Section 1(1)(b). The hearing officer found that the application was not clear enough to be performed by a skilled addressee. As such it was not necessary to give further consideration of inventive step. The application was refused under Section 14(5).

Full decisionO/449/21  470Kb