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Software Patent
of the year 2006

August – Patent 1

DE10112231 – Data processing system using user interface support for monitoring and operating processes

German patent on software (algorithm))
Application to the German Patent Office on 07/03/2001 by Reinhold Bareiß (Eagle Peak GmbH, Germany)
Granted on 23/10/2003
Valid no more than until 07/03/2021
more than until 28/09/2020
Patent attorney: Ruff, Wilhelm, Beier, Dauster & Partner
Patent specification provided by EPO/espacenet
Prize: Innovation prize Eastern-Wuerttemberg 2004

Advice on the reading of patent specifications:

The decisive element are the claims, as they specify which actions are forbidden within the framework of the patent.
Violating one single claim is sufficient to be considered a patent violation. Generally, claim number 1 is the decisive main claim which covers all other claims relating to special cases.
The description is intended to help the reader interpret the claim. At the same time, it is supposed to document and disclose the details of the invention. This disclosure is the original purpose of the entire patent system.
In practice, a patent specification contains no detailed information on how the patented procedure could be implemented (even if the patent owner allowed the implementation). In particular, a software patent contains no program code (reference implementation), but merely describes the idea of a software.

Patented idea: Storing user interfaces in a database

Main claim: Defining user interfaces in an interpreter-language capable of modelling logical relations between input fields and saving these definitions in a data base

The patent specification specializes on systems for the "management of processes". This is no real constraint as operational processes ("business processes") are explicitly included.

Main claims:

Relation to data not only by means of a database-internal key, but also an additional application-oriented key (item number or customer number etc.)
Relation between database fields/tables and input fields; specification of the connected logic (e.g. behaviour in case of updates or conflicts)
Using a hierarchy of database tables
Connection of the database hierarchy with the definitions of input fields
"Internal" input fields, which represent the state of the user interface (field alterable, field altered etc.) as elements of the of the use interface definitions
Locking and unlocking input fields as a function of the user interface and/or data

Description: The patent specification describes that user interfaces defined in terms of the patent can be easily customized to individual needs of the clients and that it is beneficial to identify data not only with a database-internal key but also an additional application-oriented key (item number or customer number etc.).

Everyday parallel: In an office lacking computers the cardboxes and the document files (database) contain various forms (input fields) for the registration of clients, orders etc. and they also contain check lists (modelling of processes) indicating which form is to be used in which situation and how to fill in the forms.

Examples for patent infringements: A large part of software-systems which include configurable user interfaces save the structure and logic of the user interface in a database and consequently infringe the patent. This also applies to the well-known business software of SAP.

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