This is an important decision when it comes to the
patentability of software.
On the merits, the European Patent Office revoked a
software patent for order management with the decision T 0172/03 (Order management/RICOH) of
27.11.2003 of Technical Board of
Appeal 3.5.01. Here are the practical takeaways from the
decision:
Catchword
The RICOH case provides an objective approach to the
assessment of inventive step for computer-implemented
inventions. It teaches to identify first the claimed features
which define the non-technical part of the invention, and then to
identify the claimed features that are clearly technical.
The invention
This European patent application concerns an order management
system and method for automatically placing an order for particular
expendable supplies based on order information input from each
department or section of a user of the system. Expendable supplies
or parts are such as copy papers or toner cartridge used in
