European Patent Office

T 1360/11 of 11.11.2014

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2014:T136011.20141111
Date of decision
11 November 2014
Case number
T 1360/11
Petition for review of
-
Application number
00944806.9
Language of proceedings
English
Distribution
Distributed to board chairmen and members (B)
OJ versions
No OJ links found
Other decisions for this case
-
Abstracts for this decision
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Application title
TOPICAL ANTI-MICROBIAL COMPOSITIONS
Applicant name
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY
Arch Chemicals, Inc.
Opponent name
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
Board
3.3.07
Headnote
-
Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 100(b)European Patent Convention Art 123(3)European Patent Convention Art 56Rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal Art 13(1)
Keywords
Late-filed auxiliary requests - justification for late filing
Sufficiency of disclosure - (yes)
Amendments - extension of protection conferred (no)
Inventive step - (yes)
Catchword
Where a granted claim directed to a composition defined in an open manner and including the presence of a component belonging to a class or list of compounds in a quantity defined by a range is later amended by limiting the definition of the class or list of compounds, a possible infringement of the requirements of Article 123(3) EPC may be avoided by including in the amended claim a quantitative condition on the limited class or list of compounds and an additional constraint on the total amount of compounds belonging to the broader class or list (point 3.11).

Order

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The decision under appeal is set aside.

2. The case is remitted to the opposition division with the order to maintain the patent on the basis of the claims according to auxiliary request 7 filed by letter of 19 July 2013 and a description to be adapted.