Indivd's patent-pending technology of anonymous people counting has now received first recognition of its international patent application. The Swedish Patent and Registration Agency explains in its statement that the technology is internationally unique and new.
Indivd's PCT application for our innovative anonymization technology, data collection, and data processing has now been audited by PRV (Patent and Registration Office) as International Search Authority (ISA), which has now issued a positive opinion of the international search and patent review on Indivds PCT application (Patent Cooperation Treaty). PRV has conducted an international search report and subsequently issued a review based on news value, level of innovation, and industrial usability.
PRV's statement reads: "Therefore, the claimed invention is not obvious to a person skilled in the art."
- This means that they agree that we have a unique solution and that our technology is patentable. Their search concludes that there is no prior art that prevents us from obtaining patents for our technology. The final statement comes from the respective patent authorities in each country, says Leonard Johard, Lead Scientist, Head of AI, and the brain behind the technology.
Good support for the continued patent work
The international PCT application has been made in parallel with the Swedish patent application to PRV, from which a final response is expected shortly.
- This is a common approach to facilitate the work in international patenting strategies. A PCT application entails an extended deadline for submitting national applications in each country. Many national patent offices also rely on PCT's assessment when conducting the novelty search.
Together with a PCT application comes an indicative search report where ISA tries to find previously known technologies that could prevent a patent. This system reduces the need to repeat patent applications at the national level when multiple patent applications for the same invention are filed in different countries.
More international patents will be applied for
Indivd will also apply for several international patents, following the Swedish patent and the PCT application.
- We have started with Sweden, but this is an internationally scalable and generic technology and service, which can be applied in other areas outside the retail sector, "says Leonard Johard and concludes:
- Our unique technology will initially help retail to avoid the classic and previously completely insurmountable dilemma of obtaining personal data through people counting, without coming into conflict with the prevailing laws or disturbing privacy. We have solved this problem in a technically elegant and unique way.