Sharing the Family PC is Patent-Pending

[theodp]

While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it novel that
Windows XP allows several family members to share a PC while enabling
each to have personalized settings and folders, that's not stopping
Microsoft from seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a shared
computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed Thursday.

--> Link to Microsoft's Patent Application

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...DN/20040088709

[Bruce Hayden]

theodp wrote:

While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it novel that
Windows XP allows several family members to share a PC while enabling
each to have personalized settings and folders, that's not stopping
Microsoft from seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a shared
computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed Thursday.

--> Link to Microsoft's Patent Application

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...DN/20040088709

Haven't looked at the application, but I would be surprised that
if just that much was new and nonobvious. Seems like Mac
and UNIX have had such for awhile.
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The preceding was not a legal opinion, and is not my employer's.
Original portions Copyright 2004 Bruce E. Hayden,all rights reserved
My work may be copied in whole or part, with proper attribution,
as long as the copying is not for commercial gain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce E. Hayden bh*****@ieee.or g
Dillon, Colorado bh*****@highdow n.com
Phoenix, Arizona bh*****@copatla w.com

[Barry Margolin]

In article <40******@news. peakpeak.com>,
Bruce Hayden <no************ @ieee.org> wrote:

theodp wrote:

While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it novel that
Windows XP allows several family members to share a PC while enabling
each to have personalized settings and folders, that's not stopping
Microsoft from seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a shared
computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed Thursday.

--> Link to Microsoft's Patent Application

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...TOFF&d=PG01&p=
1&u=%2Fnetahtml %2FPTO%2Fsrchnu m.html&r=1&f=G& l=50&s1=%222004 0088709%22.PGNR .
&OS=DN/20040088709&RS= DN/20040088709

Haven't looked at the application, but I would be surprised that
if just that much was new and nonobvious. Seems like Mac
and UNIX have had such for awhile.

The part about fast switching between users has been in MacOS for a
couple of years, but I don't think Unix has it at all (su changes the
userid, but it doesn't bring up the new user's desktop environment).

--
Barry Margolin, ba****@alum.mit .edu
Arlington, MA

[David Kastrup]

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

The part about fast switching between users has been in MacOS for a
couple of years, but I don't think Unix has it at all (su changes
the userid, but it doesn't bring up the new user's desktop
environment).

gdmflexiserver

--
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum

[paul cooke]

cross posting reduced and f'up set for cola... change it back to
misc.int-property if that's where you think it belongs :)

Barry Margolin wrote:

In article <40******@news. peakpeak.com>,
Bruce Hayden <no************ @ieee.org> wrote:

theodp wrote:

> While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it novel that
> Windows XP allows several family members to share a PC while enabling
> each to have personalized settings and folders, that's not stopping
> Microsoft from seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
> providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a shared
> computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed Thursday.
>
> --> Link to Microsoft's Patent Application
>
> http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...TOFF&d=PG01&p= > 1&u=%2Fnetahtml %2FPTO%2Fsrchnu m.html&r=1&f=G& l=50&s1=%222004 0088709%22.PGNR . > &OS=DN/20040088709&RS= DN/20040088709

Haven't looked at the application, but I would be surprised that
if just that much was new and nonobvious. Seems like Mac
and UNIX have had such for awhile.

The part about fast switching between users has been in MacOS for a
couple of years, but I don't think Unix has it at all (su changes the
userid, but it doesn't bring up the new user's desktop environment).

right click on the desktop... choose the "Start New Session" option... log
into the new session as the other user... and you can happily swap between
sessions using CTRL ALT F7 or CTRl ALT F8 whatever for each session's
window...

With SuSE/Mandrake et al, first session uses ctrl alt F7, second F8 and so
on up the scale until you hit whatever limit has been set in the config
files...
switching sessions with Linux is a heck of a lot faster than Microsoft's
paltry fast user switching alternative...

I won't give you any links as it my personal experience on exactly the same
hardware when booted into either Mandrake 10 or XP HE...

--
Use Linux - Computer power for the people: Down with cybercrud...

[LEE Sau Dan]

>>>>> "theodp" == theodp <th****@aol.com > writes:

theodp> While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it
theodp> novel that Windows XP allows several family members to
theodp> share a PC while enabling each to have personalized
theodp> settings and folders, that's not stopping Microsoft from
theodp> seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
theodp> providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a
theodp> shared computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed
theodp> Thursday.

If this paragraph is really disclosed by the USPTO, then that clearly
indicates that the USPTO is aware that there are plentiful prior art.
Why are they still entertaining M$?

--
Lee Sau Dan +Z05biGVm- ~{@nJX6X~}

E-mail: da****@informat ik.uni-freiburg.de
Home page: http://www.informatik.uni-freiburg.de/~danlee

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

LEE Sau Dan wrote:

>> "theodp" == theodp <th****@aol.com > writes:

theodp> While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it
theodp> novel that Windows XP allows several family members to
theodp> share a PC while enabling each to have personalized
theodp> settings and folders, that's not stopping Microsoft from
theodp> seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
theodp> providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a
theodp> shared computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed
theodp> Thursday.

If this paragraph is really disclosed by the USPTO, then that clearly
indicates that the USPTO is aware that there are plentiful prior art.
Why are they still entertaining M$?

That paragraph was written by the original poster. Its not necessarily
part of the application.

--
Paul Hovnanian mailto:Pa**@Hov nanian.com
note to spammers: a Washington State resident
------------------------------------------------------------------
Life would be so much easier if we could just look at the source code.

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

theodp wrote:

While Mainframe and Unix users are unlikely to find it novel that
Windows XP allows several family members to share a PC while enabling
each to have personalized settings and folders, that's not stopping
Microsoft from seeking a patent for 'Methods and arrangements for
providing multiple concurrent desktops and workspaces in a shared
computing environment,' the USPTO disclosed Thursday.

--> Link to Microsoft's Patent Application

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...DN/20040088709

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this appears to be an application, not a
granted patent. With that in mind, lets see if the USPTO actually grants
them one.

This could be an interesting tactic on the part of various companies
with too much cash and not enough actual work to do. Swamp the patent
office with crap. If the reviewers are buried in garbage, maybe they'll
just start rubber stamping them to clear out their in baskets.
--
Paul Hovnanian mailto:Pa**@Hov nanian.com
note to spammers: a Washington State resident
------------------------------------------------------------------
Time's fun when you're having flies. -- Kermit the Frog

[Bernd Jendrissek]

In article <ba************ **************@ comcast.ash.gig anews.com> Barry
Margolin <ba****@alum.mi t.edu> wrote:

In article <40******@news. peakpeak.com>,
Bruce Hayden <no************ @ieee.org> wrote:

Haven't looked at the application, but I would be surprised that
if just that much was new and nonobvious. Seems like Mac
and UNIX have had such for awhile.

The part about fast switching between users has been in MacOS for a
couple of years, but I don't think Unix has it at all (su changes the
userid, but it doesn't bring up the new user's desktop environment).

Linux + XFree86:

Ctrl+Alt+F1/F2/F3...

--
http://voyager.abite.co.za/~berndj/ (f1084a555d2098 411cff4cefd41d2 e2a1c85d18c)
I've generally found that the fastest way to get the right answer on the net
is to confidently assert the answer you believe to be right; those who know
will immediately correct you, while if you just ask, often no answers arrive.
All it requires is a willingness to look bad on occasion.
- Joe Buck on gc*@gcc.gnu.org

[W Randolph Franklin]

According to Paul Hovnanian P.E. <Pa**@Hovnanian .com>:

This could be an interesting tactic on the part of various
companies with too much cash and not enough actual work to
do. Swamp the patent office with crap. If the reviewers are
buried in garbage, maybe they'll just start rubber stamping
them to clear out their in baskets.

Australia has an "innovation patent" that is just like this.
You submit an idea, say for a "circular transportation
facilitation device", and they automatically register your
submission.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/1418165.stm

A really crappy patent is IBM's US patent 6,329,919:

"System and method for providing reservations for restroom use

"The present invention is an apparatus, system, and method for
providing reservations for restroom use. In one embodiment, a
passenger on an airplane may submit a reservation request to
the system for restroom use. The reservation system determines
when the request can be accommodated and notifies the
passenger when a restroom becomes available. The system
improves airline safety by minimizing the time passengers
spent standing while an airplane is in flight."

They later dedicated the patent to the public.

------------------------
Wm Randolph Franklin
The email address in the header is invalid. To write me,
search my web site. http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Homepages/wrf/