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Control of an apparatus by actuator check via microcomputer

The main claim seems to cover all state-controlled automatic systems, including general purpose computer programmed in such a way that specific output values are controlled by specific input values. The main claim says that this device is "preferably a car radio", but does not limit itself to this specific application of a very general calculation rule. This patent was granted after 12 years of examination, including opposition filed by an association dedicated to keeping the broadcasting industry free of patents.

Claim 1:

Device for controlling a telecommunications apparatus, preferably a car radio, having a microcomputer, a memory, a control part having control elements and having actuators, the microcomputer being designed to use a program stored in the memory to acquire the position of the control elements and to control the corresponding functions of the device, characterized

in that the program contains a table which contains start information items of program modules for controlling the actuators for all possible operating states, a respective operating state being provided by a setting of the actuators and by an actuation state of the control elements,
in that the microcomputer is designed in such a way that, upon actuation of a control element, it carries out a search operation in the table, in the case of which the operating states listed in the table are compared as desired values with the actually present operating state as actual value,
in that, following a successful search operation, the microcomputer removes the start information item which has been found from the table, and
in that the microcomputer executes one or more program modules using the start information item.

patent application (A):

claims, description and abstract

granted version (B1):

The EPO publishes the patent as a collection of graphical files, which we concatenate into one huge PDF file and, by OCR batch processing, reduce to a text file.

Opposition
Annotated Links
Questions, Things To Do, How you can Help

Opposition

The patent was granted after 12 years: 6 years of examination and 6 years of opposition procedures. Opposition was filed by Interessengemeinschaft f. Rundfunkschutzrechte GmbH Schutzverwertung & Co KG, an association of broadcasting companies who are struggling to keep their field free from patents. One may wonder how it was possible to uphold the broad claims in view of the opposition.


2003-05-15 REG  Reference to a national code (CHPL) (CH ) 
2002-01-01 REG  Reference to a national code (GBIF02) (GB ) 
2000-08-04 REG  Reference to a national code (FRTP) (FR ) 
2000-06-07 REG  Reference to a national code (GB732E) (GB ) 
2000-05-31 REG  Reference to a national code (PTPC4A20000216 WERNER HENZE DE) (PT ) 
1999-12-31 REG  Reference to a national code (CHPUE BLAUPUNKT-WERKE GMBH -DANN AN- WERNER HENZE) (CH ) 
1999-04-07 RIN2  Inventor (correction) (HENZE, WERNER) 
1999-04-07 RAP2  Patent owner reassignment (correction) (HENZE, WERNER) 
1998-01-21 26(-)  Opposition filed (971126 INTERESSENGEMEINSCHAFT FUER RUNDFUNKSCHUTZRECHTE GMBH SCHUTZRECHTSVERWERTUNG & CO. KG) 
1997-05-28 GBT(+)  Gb: translation of ep patent filed (gb section 77(6)(a)/1977) (970501) 
1997-04-18 ET(+)  Fr: translation filed  
1997-04-03 REF  Corresponds to: (DE 59208064 P) 
1997-02-28 REG  Reference to a national code (CHEP) (CH ) 
1997-02-28 REG  Reference to a national code (CHNV SCINTILLA AG, DIREKTION) (CH ) 
1997-02-26 B1(+)  Patent specification  
1997-02-26 REF  Corresponds to: (AT 149272 R) 
1997-02-26 AK(+)  Designated contracting states: (AT CH DE FR GB LI PT AT CH DE FR GB LI PT) ( B1) 
1996-01-31 17Q(+)  First examination report (951215) 
1993-10-13 17P(+)  Request for examination filed (930812) 
1993-03-24 AK(+)  Designated contracting states: (AT CH DE FR GB LI PT) ( A1) 
1993-03-24 A1(+)  Publication of application with search report  
1992-09-15 AE  Ep-application (EP 1992 92115726 A) 
1991-09-18 AA  Priority (DE 1991 4131052 A)

Annotated Links

Re: EP 0533098: Mailing List Discussion: Answer to questions of an unbelieving patent newby as to whether the claims of this patent are really as broad as they seem.
legal codes: These are needed for understanding the above file history

Questions, Things To Do, How you can Help

Why wasn't the opposition more successful?: contact the opposing company