T 1658/12 of 06.04.2017
- European Case Law Identifier
- ECLI:EP:BA:2017:T165812.20170406
- Date of decision
- 6 April 2017
- Case number
- T 1658/12
- Petition for review of
- -
- Application number
- 05821081.6
- IPC class
- G07F 9/00
- Language of proceedings
- English
- Distribution
- Distributed to board chairmen (C)
- Download
- Decision in English
- OJ versions
- No OJ links found
- Other decisions for this case
- -
- Abstracts for this decision
- -
- Application title
- USER-SPECIFIC DISPENSING SYSTEM
- Applicant name
- Zito, Arthur J., Jr.
- Opponent name
- -
- Board
- 3.4.03
- Headnote
- -
- Relevant legal provisions
- European Patent Convention Art 123(2)European Patent Convention Art 52(1)European Patent Convention Art 54(2)European Patent Convention Art 56 1973
- Keywords
- Inventive step - (yes)
- Catchword
- In determining what is made available to the public within the meaning of Article 54(2) EPC by a prior art patent document, it must be borne in mind that it is the description which chiefly serves to disclose the invention in a manner that it may be carried out, whereas the chief function of the claims is to define the subject-matter for which protection is sought. Where a combination of features is found only in the claims (or only in the claims and a "Summary of the Invention" which merely recites the features of the claims), it must be very carefully considered whether this combination truly corresponds to the technical teaching of the document as it would be understood by a skilled person, or whether it is merely an artefact of the claim drafting process aimed at obtaining maximal scope of protection (see Reasons, point 3.8; also T 312/94, Catchword; T 969/92, Point 3, and in particular, page 4, first paragraph; T 42/92, "Orientierungssatz").
Order
For these reasons it is decided that:
1. The decision under appeal is set aside.
2. The case is remitted to the Examining Division with the order to grant a patent in the following version:
- claims 1 to 13 of the main request as filed at the oral proceedings before the Board,
- pages 1, 2, 2a and 4 to 18 of the description as filed at the oral proceedings before the Board, and
- drawings: sheets 1 to 7 as published.