Using a rotational angle between a QR code's inherent orientation and an icon: technical

The application underlying the discussed decision concerns a method for retrieving information from a server using a QR code, where icons arranged around the QR code represent different information items selectable by a user. The key feature discussed by the Board was the use of the rotational angle between a QR code’s inherent orientation (derived from its Position Detection Patterns) and a user-selected icon as an additional machine-readable input parameter for information retrieval. The Board considered this feature to be technical, contrary to the examining division’s finding that the method was merely an abstract information retrieval idea devoid of any technical consideration.

Here are the practical takeaways from the decision: T 0418/21 (Retrieving information using a QR code/GSPI) of 16 December 2025, of the Technical Board of Appeal 3.5.01.

Key takeaways

Deriving an additional user input parameter from the orientation of a QR code, which is typically only used internally for QR code decoding, involves technical considerations about how user input is captured and interpreted by a device and thus contributes to the technical character of the invention. Such a mechanism goes beyond conventional input methods and cannot be dismissed as a non-technical, abstract information processing scheme under the Comvik approach.

The invention

The Board of Appeal summarized the invention as follows:

The invention relates to mobile tagging, where a user employs a mobile device to capture a QR code to retrieve information available on the Internet, such as a product web page or a social network profile. In the conventional approach, accessing multiple information items requires users to capture multiple QR codes or, if directed to a web page associated with a single QR code, navigate manually to find the desired information. The core idea of the invention is to arrange icons that represent different types of information or web pages, such as a Facebook icon and an information icon, in close proximity to the QR code. The spatial arrangement of these icons in relation to the QR code, such as a rotation angle relative to the QR code, defines an additional input parameter. If the user captures the arrangement and selects an icon, the server returns the corresponding page instead of the default web page encoded by the QR code. The icons can be selected either by rotating the mobile device while capturing the QR code until the desired icon is in an upright position, or by touching the captured icon on a touchscreen. In both cases, the angle between the selected icon and the QR code is calculated using the QR code’s Position Detection Patterns and sent to the server to retrieve the desired web page. This leverages properties inherent to the QR code standard that are conventionally discarded after preprocessing.

Main request, claim 1

A method for requesting information from an information providing server, the method comprising:

providing a graphical representation of information, the graphical representation comprising a QR code and a plurality of icons, each icon representing one information item, and each icon being positioned at a relative position with respect to the QR code, wherein said information providing server has information defining a relationship between said relative positions of the icons and the corresponding information items;

in a user device, performing the steps of:

capturing the graphical representation;

displaying the captured graphical representation on a screen;

decoding the QR code to obtain a URL;

receiving user input that represents a relative position of a selected icon with respect to the QR code;

detecting Position Detection Patterns within the QR code;

determining a first line, the first line being defined by the Position Detection Patterns;

determining a second line extending from the user input to a center of the QR code, the first line and the second line forming an angle at a vertex of the first line and the second line, the angle defining an angle coordinate which represents said user input;

forwarding the angle coordinate and decoded URL to the information providing server defined by the URL;

in the information providing server, performing the steps of:

receiving the URL;

receiving the angle coordinate from the user device;

on the basis of the received URL and the received angle coordinate and said relationship, selecting one information item;

transmitting the selected information item to the user device;

in the user device,

receiving the selected information item from the information providing server.

Is it patentable?

The Examining Division’s position

The examining division considered that the claimed method for retrieving information lacked technical character as it defined “an abstract idea (information retrieval) void of any technical consideration for the solution of a technical problem.” The division did not recognize any technical contribution in the features defining how the QR code orientation and user input were used to derive an angle coordinate for selecting information. The division concluded that automating such a method on a known client-server system, such as the system disclosed in document D1 (CN 101930532 A), did not involve an inventive step. Essentially, the examining division treated the entire information retrieval scheme, including the angle-based selection mechanism, as a non-technical requirement that could not support inventive step.

The Appellant’s arguments

The appellant argued that the invention’s aim of accessing a wide range of information using a single QR code was achieved through technical means. Specifically, the appellant contended that determining the angle between a user input and the QR code, and using this angle as an input parameter for information retrieval, constituted a technical contribution. The appellant submitted that the method leveraged inherent properties of the QR code standard (the Position Detection Patterns) to create a novel input mechanism, which went beyond abstract information processing. In response to the Board’s preliminary opinion, the appellant filed amended claims clarifying how the angle coordinate was determined from the Position Detection Patterns and requested that the case be remitted to the examining division for further examination.

The Board’s analysis

The Board structured its analysis around the amended main request and focused on whether the angle-based input mechanism was technical:

Admittance of amended claims

The Board admitted the amended main and first auxiliary requests filed in response to its preliminary opinion, as the amendments were a legitimate reaction to clarity issues raised by the Board for the first time and constituted a genuine attempt to overcome all objections raised.

Technicality of the angle-based input mechanism

The Board considered that using a rotational angle between a QR code and a user-selected graphical element as an additional input parameter involves technical considerations, as it affects the way user input is captured and interpreted by the device.
The rotational angle provides an additional machine-readable parameter derived from the spatial relationship between visual elements detected by the device. This additional input parameter enables users to access multiple information items via a single QR code, only using the inherent properties of QR codes.
The Board found that assisting users in performing a technical task, specifically retrieving information via this input mechanism, is based on technical considerations.
This effect is independent of cognitive information, such as the graphical arrangement or presentation of the icons. It extends beyond conventional input mechanisms, such as touch or mouse input, which are merely adapted to user preferences or business requirements (referring to T 1958/13 and T 2019/12).
The Board concluded that claim 1 defines a method leveraging technical means to obtain a user input for information retrieval. Contrary to the examining division’s findings, such a user input cannot be regarded as an “abstract, administrative information processing” scheme devoid of any technical effect and cannot be treated as a non-technical requirement under the Comvik approach.

Inventive step and need for further search

The Board noted that deriving an input parameter from the orientation of a QR code, which is typically only used internally for QR code decoding, is neither known from D1 nor part of the common general knowledge.
However, the Board could not establish that the invention had been comprehensively searched. The written opinion of the EPO acting as International Search Authority had considered the QR code orientation features to be non-technical, and the International Search Report did not cover the technical field of information retrieval.

First auxiliary request

The first auxiliary request additionally specified that the user input is a touch location. The Board did not separately analyze this request in detail, as the main request already addressed the core technical issues.

Conclusion

The Board set aside the examining division’s decision and remitted the case for further prosecution, including an additional search. The Board found that the examining division’s inventive step analysis was flawed because it incorrectly classified the angle-based input mechanism as non-technical. Since the features relating to using the QR code’s orientation for determining a further user input parameter had not been properly searched due to having been considered non-technical by the ISA, the Board was not in a position to take a final decision on inventive step. The need for a further search constituted a special reason for remittal under Article 11 RPBA.

More information

You can read the full decision here: T 0418/21 (Retrieving information using a QR code/GSPI) of 16 December 2025, of the Technical Board of Appeal 3.5.01.

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