1-Click, Short-Click, Long-Click, More-Clicks (New Microsoft Patent)

[theodp]

Not to be outdone by Amazon's 1-Click patent, Microsoft snagged a
patent from the USPTO Tuesday for a 'Time based hardware button for
application launch', which covers causing different actions to occur
depending upon whether a button is pressed for a short period of time,
a long period of time, or multiple times within a short period of
time. So does pressing car radio buttons for different periods of time
to change or set stations constitute patent infringement?

See the patent at:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...mber=6,727,830

[Rahul Dhesi]

Barry Margolin <ba****@alum.mi t.edu> writes:

In article <c6**********@b lue.rahul.net>,
c.*******@1-ClickXXS.usenet .us.com (Rahul Dhesi) wrote:

But unlike me, you seemd to imply, several times, that "open" and
"applicatio n" had obvious common meanings -- which meanings you have yet
to state with any prevision.

An application is a computer program that performs a distinct activity.
Opening it is starting it running. These are common terms in the computer industry. Since a patent is
supposed to be understandable by an industry professional, how far does
it have to go in defining common terms?

So now you see how that patent is disastrously broad -- it covers any
activity on a device that the user wishes were more powerful, caused by
a long press, that starts a distinct computer program. If that isn't a
stupid patent, I don't know what is.

As to your comment about "common terms", did you know that "stuff" is
also a very common term?
--
Rahul

[Alun]

Barry Margolin <ba****@alum.mi t.edu> wrote in news:barmar-
D0************* ******@comcast. ash.giganews.co m:

In article <uk***********@ news.dtpq.com>,
cs****@news.dtp q.com (Christopher C. Stacy) wrote:

Once fully granted, is it possible for a patent like the one above
to be somehow overturned? (If this is even possible, I am sure that
it costs big bucks.)

I think there's a relatively inexpensive way to request that the PTO
review a patent. The expensive way to challenge a patent is to wait to
be sued for patent infringement, and go to court to defend yourself.

It is indeed cheaper to file a reexamination than to wait to be sued. In
the past all reexaminations were ex parte, meaning that you filed it and
then couldn't participate, which was not ideal. It is now possible to
choose an inter partes reexamination, in which you can take part. No one
much has taken advantage of this new procedure (if anyone?). I would find
it an interesting experience, or perhaps even experiment is a better word?

Alun Palmer, US Patent Agent

[Mark Allen Adams, Jr.]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Oy! Listen to Alun's latest shpiel!

When I make toast, sometimes I will put the plate
with the butter on it in the microwave for a
few seconds to soften it up. I think I will go
get a patent for that.

Even supposing your toast patent issued, how would you propose to find
prospective infringers?

Wait until MICRO$~1 innovates embedded devices and installs spyware on
people's toasters?

- --
mark allen adams, jr.
usenet (at) mark (hyphen) adams (dot) com
Internet Explorer: the world's most standards-complaint web browser

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFAkfCWnkc ACrrIBtgRAiYqAK DNIDXHk6bzkTXc6 w+HuWhZ2ucidACf Xj/d
w/bvEbGiJJn4MoFh1 iiOeuU=
=MCqb
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----