European Patent Office

T 0133/92 (Bleaching activators/AKZO) of 18.10.1994

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:1994:T013392.19941018
Date of decision
18 October 1994
Case number
T 0133/92
Petition for review of
-
Application number
86200688.9
IPC class
C07C 143/44
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
-
Application title
P-sulphophenyl alkyl carbonates and their use as bleaching activators
Applicant name
Akzo Nobel N.V.
Opponent name
Unilever PLC/Unilever N.V.
Board
3.3.01
Headnote
-
Keywords
Novelty (no; for main and first auxiliary request) - selection of a group of compounds
Novelty (yes; second auxiliary request) - selection of individualised compounds
Inventive step (yes)
Right to be heard (yes) - decision based on new claims filed during oral proceedings at which the Opponent was not represented
Not new fact: G 4/92 distinguished
Principle of legal certainty: Art. 125 EPC
Catchword
A claimed group of compounds essentially resulting from omitting those parts of a larger group of compounds which a skilled person would have immediately considered as being less interesting than the rest, cannot be selectively novel.
Cited cases
G 0004/92

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 with the claims as submitted during the oral proceedings as auxiliary request A, after corresponding amendments of the description.