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Decisions of the Boards of Appeal

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Recently published decisions  2022

All board of appeal decisions released for publication in the last three months are shown in the list below (newest first). The website checks for new decisions daily and updates the list accordingly. For full lists per year, please access the subpages.

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December 2022

T 2941/18 07-10-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.3.03
Date of decision
07-10-2022
Language of proceedings
DE
IPC class
C08K 5/5313
C08L 77/00
C08K 7/14
C08J 5/08
C08J 5/04
Application number
13170801.8
Keywords

Berichtigung der Bezeichnung einer Einsprechenden (ja)

Hilfsantrag 5 - zugelassen - hätte bereits im erstinstanzlichen Verfahren vorgebracht werden können (nein)

Einwand mangelnder erfinderischer Tätigkeit - zugelassen (ja)

Hilfsantrag 5 - Erfinderische Tätigkeit (nein) naheliegende Alternative

Hilfsantrag 8 - nicht zugelassen - rechtfertigende Gründe für die Änderungen (nein)

Application title

Glasfaserverstärkte flammgeschützte Polyamidformmassen

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T294118.20221007
Distribution
NICHT VERTEILT (D)
Decision in DE 531.65 KB
View decision
T 2599/19 14-11-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.4.02
Date of decision
14-11-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
G01F 1/84
Application number
07871714.7
Catchword
Since the initial main request, filed for the first time with the statement of grounds of appeal, would not have been admitted under Article 12(4) RPBA 2007, the objections raised by the board in the communication annexed to the summons to oral proceedings against this initial main request are of a hypothetical nature and do not establish exceptional circumstances referred to in Article 13(2) RPBA 2020 which could justify amending the applicant's appeal case.
Keywords
Admittance of main and sole request (no) - exceptional circumstances (no)
Application title

A VIBRATING FLOW DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FABRICATING A VIBRATING FLOW DEVICE

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T259919.20221114
Distribution
DISTRIBUTED TO BOARD CHAIRMEN (C)
Decision in EN 334.73 KB
View decision
T 2530/19 (Hearing aid's gain model/SONOVA) 25-10-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.5.03
Date of decision
25-10-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
H03G 3/30
H03G 3/32
H04R 25/00
Application number
10752598.2
Keywords

Inventive step - main request and first auxiliary request (no), second auxiliary request (yes)

Sufficient disclosure - second auxiliary request (yes)

Application title

Method and system for providing hearing assistance to a user

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T253019.20221025
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)
Decision in EN 386.99 KB
View decision
T 2256/17 08-11-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.5.04
Date of decision
08-11-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
H04N 19/70
H04N 19/88
H04N 21/44
Application number
14724585.6
Keywords

Amendment after summons - exceptional circumstances (yes)

Inventive step - (yes)

Application title

IMPROVED RTP PAYLOAD FORMAT DESIGNS

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T225617.20221108
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)
Decision in EN 428.38 KB
View decision
T 1943/19 13-12-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.2.06
Date of decision
13-12-2022
Language of proceedings
DE
IPC class
D01D 13/02
H01L 23/34
Application number
13716999.1
Keywords
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - (nein)
Application title

VORRICHTUNG ZUR HERSTELLUNG SYNTHETISCHER FÄDEN

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T194319.20221213
Distribution
NICHT VERTEILT (D)
Decision in DE 346.65 KB
View decision
T 1794/16 20-10-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.2.02
Date of decision
20-10-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
A61B 17/072
Application number
10006462.5
Keywords

Sufficiency of disclosure - (yes)

Added subject-matter - (no)

Inventive step - (yes)

Application title

Surgical stapler with universal articulation and tissue pre-clamp

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T179416.20221020
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)
Decision in EN 665.46 KB
View decision
T 1784/22 20-12-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.2.02
Date of decision
20-12-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
A61B 17/122
A61B 17/128
Application number
02775909.1
Keywords
Admissibility of appeal - missing statement of grounds
Application title

THROUGH THE SCOPE ENDOSCOPIC HEMOSTATIC CLIPPING DEVICE

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T178422.20221220
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)
Decision in EN 234.18 KB
View decision
T 1742/19 (Pharmaceutical composition containing an anti-nucleating agent/ MERCK) 10-11-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.3.07
Date of decision
10-11-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
A61K 9/20
A61K 9/48
A61K 31/513
Application number
05852790.4
Keywords

Main request and auxiliary requests 1-5 - Sufficiency of disclosure (No)

Auxiliary request 6 - Sufficiency of disclosure (Yes)

Auxiliary request 6 - Inventive step (Yes)

Application title

PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITION CONTAINING AN ANTI-NUCLEATING AGENT

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T174219.20221110
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)
Decision in EN 431.07 KB
View decision
T 1473/19 30-09-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.2.02
Date of decision
30-09-2022
Language of proceedings
EN
IPC class
A61B6/00
H01F38/18
H04B5/00
Application number
11749363.5
Catchword

1.) Article 69 EPC in conjunction with Article 1 of the Protocol thereto can and should be relied on when interpreting claims and determining the claimed subject-matter in proceedings before the EPO, including for the purpose of assessing compliance with Article 123(2) EPC (Reasons 3.1-3.15).

2.) Although Article 69(1), second sentence, EPC requires that generally account be taken of the description and the drawings when interpreting a claim, the primacy of the claims according to Article 69(1), first sentence, EPC limits the extent to which the meaning of a certain claim feature may be affected by the description and the drawings (Reasons 3.16-3.16.2).

3.) Claim interpretation is overall a question of law which must as such ultimately be answered by the deciding body, and not by linguistic or technical experts. It does, however, involve the appraisal of linguistic and technical facts which may be supported by evidence submitted by the parties (Reasons 3.17).

Keywords

New evidence filed on appeal - admitted (yes)

Amendments - added subject-matter (yes)

Amendments - inescapable trap (yes)

Correction of error - (no)

Application title

CONTACTLESS ROTARY JOINT

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T147319.20220930
Distribution
DISTRIBUTED TO BOARD CHAIRMEN (C)
Decision in EN 520.6 KB
View decision
T 1248/18 (Sicherheitspapier/G+D) 28-11-2022
Online on
23-12-2022
Board
3.3.06
Date of decision
28-11-2022
Language of proceedings
DE
IPC class
D21H 21/42
Application number
12769595.5
Keywords

Erfinderische Tätigkeit - Hauptantrag (nein)

Erfinderische Tätigkeit - Hilfsantrag (ja)

Änderung des Beschwerdevorbringens - rechtfertigende Gründe des Beteiligten (ja)

Application title

VERFAHREN ZUR HERSTELLUNG EINES SICHERHEITSPAPIERS UND MIKROLINSENFADEN

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2022:T124818.20221128
Distribution
NICHT VERTEILT (D)
Decision in DE 415.87 KB
View decision

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