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This is an absolutely ridiculous ... well, insult to anyone with an IQ higher than that of a slightly retarded rock. The *only* thing you're going to generate with this patent is bad will.

(check it out, send response here: http://www.detechnologies.com/contact.htm)

http://www.detechnologies.com/news.htm, if you had of even looked at there site, you would of seen that the patent number was in the the little snippet for the press release about it. On the other side, they have a picture of a tanker on there front page, i wonder if it's going to sink as quickly as the patent will.....

US Patent No. 6,460,020 and I swear this was covered in Slashdot before. (2002 is a little long to shout Dupe! however.)

Actually all they have is their BOES(TM) "technology". So in fact they do appear to be a litigation firm based entirely around this one patent (although its been "granted patents from the governments of Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. Currently, the patent applications are pending in Europe, Canada and throughout Asia.")

About This Paper

Along with the recent issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,460,020 for the Borderless Order Entry System (BOESTM) on October 1, 2002, some questions have been raised as to the patentability of the BOES invention. These questions relate generally to the false premise that the patent covers the simple automation of an old process on conducting international trade. The purpose of this position paper is to explain, first, that the BOES technology falls within the scope of inventions that are protected by U.S. patent laws, and, second, that the BOES invention deserves such protection.

...[snip]...

Does BOES Deserve Patent Protection?

To best answer this question, we must first understand: (1) What is the BOES technology?; (2) The timing significance of the BOES patent application filing; (3) The scope and extent of the Patent Office examination and subsequent reviews; and (4) Whether copyright law can adequately protect the BOES invention.

1. What is the BOES technology?

BOES is a fully integrated complex software system used to export or import goods between two or more countries. The purchase or sale of goods, whether between businesses or with the ultimate consumer, requires the connection and use of a complex set of service operations. These service operations include: ordering the goods; transporting the goods between buyer and seller; guarantying payment; insuring the goods in case of loss or damage; preparing and filing the appropriate documents with governments, carriers, and banks -- all within a framework of different languages, currencies, and trade laws.

Before BOES, the capability did not exist to turn to a software system and have all the necessary tasks efficiently performed to conduct an international transaction for the sale of goods.

2. The timing significance of the BOES patent application filing

The original BOES patent application was filed at the end of 1997 -- well before the "Gold Rush" to the Patent Office by others seeking patent protection on business methods inspired by the State Street Bank case. After this seminal patent case was published, filing business method patent applications became the "in vogue" thing to do. Business method patent application filings skyrocketed in 1999 and 2000 and the Patent Office was deluged without the capability to effectively respond due to insufficient number of qualified examiners and inadequate prior art database resources.

This situation dramatically changed for the better when, in March 2000, the Patent Office director ordered that each and every business method patent application go through a quality assurance review by seasoned patent examiners after its initial allowance. Furthermore, the Patent Office poured significant financial resources into hiring additional patent examiners with qualifications to examine applications in the financial technology area. The Patent Office also dramatically increased the patent examiners' capability to search publications from around the world to assist them in making prior invention determinations. The impact of these Patent Office improvements is reflected in the number of business method patents that are currently allowed and issued. Today, less than 30% of all business method patent applications are allowed -- drastically down from its all-time high of nearly 80% allowance only a few years ago.

On a related issue, it is very important to note that the patent application filing date determines whether a prior patent or publication is considered prior art. The examiner will review patents and publications prior to the filing date to determine patentability. In the case of the BOES p

I did, by snooping around the website of the (I consider) punks. They announced they won the patent in a press release about getting the Borderless Order Entry System (BOES(TM)) patent. The actual patent would be found on the USPTO.gov website. It was filed December 29, 1997, and so it really was prior to much internet international transactions taking place. And this patent went through a lot of scrutiny from what I see.

At one point, it was even mentioned in Congress by a Virginia lawmaker as a horrible use of the patent system. (Read another news story that has more on this.) And it was revised many times. I see a lot of work done on this.

Now do I think they are bastards? Oh yea. Do they have a case? Unfortunatly, it appears so. But this sort of thing shouldn't be patented in the first place.

Pool, an American who moved DET from Virginia last year when Canadians invested in the private firm, said DET is "entitled to a royalty on international transactions done computer to computer. Those New Zealanders are using our technology, for heaven's sake, and they're going to pay or they're going to stop violating the 505284 patent."

Boucher does represent Virginia's "Silicon Valley", but it's Southwestern Virginia, not Northern Virginia ("Virginia's Technology Corridor", so say the interstate signs :) ).

He's the congressional representative for the ninth district of Virginia, which happens to include Blacksburg, VA, home of Virginia Tech, and an awful lot of innovation. Blacksburg is also the home of The Blacksburg Electronic Village, which was a fairly early (circa 1993) project to bring widespread access to the community (ethernet in apartments, etc.). Finally, Blacksburg is home to Cliff.

Interestingly, Blacksburg is also home to BizNet Technologies, Inc., who built BOES (Borderless Order Entry System) for DE Technologies, whom you may remember from this slashdot article on an egregious patent for international commerce. So this latest legislation is definitely a feather in his cap, and an indicator of his continued integrity. It's nice to see that he regards the people as his constituency, not the businesses.

Boucher seems quite friendly to the consumers' side of technology, and, as congressional representatives go, he's been a pretty good one (I'll vote for him again, when given the chance). His record of late shows a committment to undoing some of the boneheadedness that seems to be inherent in the system. He was instrumental in the reactive legislation to undo the "work for hire" clause the RIAA's PAC slipped into the satellite act. He's working with Carl Malamud on the open source tax credit proposal. To use the vernacular, he rocks.

Boucher does represent Virginia's "Silicon Valley", but it's Southwestern Virginia, not Northern Virginia ("Virginia's Technology Corridor", so say the interstate signs :) ).

He's the congressional representative for the ninth district of Virginia, which happens to include Blacksburg, VA, home of Virginia Tech, and an awful lot of innovation. Blacksburg is also the home of The Blacksburg Electronic Village, which was a fairly early (circa 1993) project to bring widespread access to the community (ethernet in apartments, etc.). Finally, Blacksburg is home to Cliff.

Interestingly, Blacksburg is also home to BizNet Technologies, Inc., who built BOES (Borderless Order Entry System) for DE Technologies, whom you may remember from this slashdot article on an egregious patent for international commerce. So this latest legislation is definitely a feather in his cap, and an indicator of his continued integrity. It's nice to see that he regards the people as his constituency, not the businesses.

Boucher seems quite friendly to the consumers' side of technology, and, as congressional representatives go, he's been a pretty good one (I'll vote for him again, when given the chance). His record of late shows a committment to undoing some of the boneheadedness that seems to be inherent in the system. He was instrumental in the reactive legislation to undo the "work for hire" clause the RIAA's PAC slipped into the satellite act. He's working with Carl Malamud on the open source tax credit proposal. To use the vernacular, he rocks.

Boucher does represent Virginia's "Silicon Valley", but it's Southwestern Virginia, not Northern Virginia ("Virginia's Technology Corridor", so say the interstate signs :) ).

He's the congressional representative for the ninth district of Virginia, which happens to include Blacksburg, VA, home of Virginia Tech, and an awful lot of innovation. Blacksburg is also the home of The Blacksburg Electronic Village, which was a fairly early (circa 1993) project to bring widespread access to the community (ethernet in apartments, etc.). Finally, Blacksburg is home to Cliff.

Interestingly, Blacksburg is also home to BizNet Technologies, Inc., who built BOES (Borderless Order Entry System) for DE Technologies, whom you may remember from this slashdot article on an egregious patent for international commerce. So this latest legislation is definitely a feather in his cap, and an indicator of his continued integrity. It's nice to see that he regards the people as his constituency, not the businesses.

Boucher seems quite friendly to the consumers' side of technology, and, as congressional representatives go, he's been a pretty good one (I'll vote for him again, when given the chance). His record of late shows a committment to undoing some of the boneheadedness that seems to be inherent in the system. He was instrumental in the reactive legislation to undo the "work for hire" clause the RIAA's PAC slipped into the satellite act. He's working with Carl Malamud on the open source tax credit proposal. To use the vernacular, he rocks.

Edward Pool

Phone: (540) 576-3555

DE Technologies
12110 Old Franklin Turnpike
Union Hall, VA 24176

Email: info@detechnologies.com

I say we all give him a phone call and send him an e-mail. No threats or anything like that, of course, just to let him know what we think of scum like him who try to patent ideas which have been around for years...

It seems that many common sense practices may become patented unless the US Patent Office gets a clue or someone reforms the laws. Of course I guess that we must accept that the Government really knows what they are doing (sarcasm not trolling). Here is a link to DE Technologies' web site page with detailed info on their patent app etc. You can download the patent docs for your perusal.