On January 27, 2015, in connection with its 2014 Interim Guidance on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility (Interim Eligibility Guidance), the USPTO released a guide describing eight examples of computer-implemented inventions that either are or are not eligible for a patent under the Interim Eligibility Guidance. Some of the examples are based on actual claims involved in recent US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decisions, while other examples use hypothetical claims for teaching purposes to highlight certain aspects of the Interim Eligibility Guidance. The guide is part of the USPTO's continued effort to develop guidelines for determining what types of patent claims cover an ineligible abstract idea. Interested parties are encouraged to comment on the hypothetical examples during the open comment period, which continues through March 16, 2015, by sending e-mail comments to [email protected].

For more information on the USPTO's Interim Eligibility Guidance, see Legal Update, USPTO Issues Interim Guidance on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility.