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IBM Patents Web Page Templates
jalefkowit writes: "More follies from the US Patent & Trademark Office ... now IBM has been awarded US Patent #6,304,886 for software that automatically "generates [a] customized Web site without the Web site creator writing any HTML or other programming code", based on "a plurality of pre-stored templates, comprising HTML formatting code, text, fields, and formulas" that are then customized through the process of asking the user a few questions. In other words, they've patented the ubiquitous wizards found in FrontPage and other newbie-oriented HTML editors. This was submitted to the USPTO on June 19, 1998 -- surely someone out there knows of prior art for this?"
I have prior art. I use templates for all my websites. Instead of creating a new product page from scratch I always have a pre-made template which i then modify. Can I please have $10 million dollars? Thanks,
David
I'm not sure when ms word got the ability to save HTML, but combine that with the generic document-generating wizards it has and *presto* you've got html templates. Not that everyone wants to read a web page that starts off "Interoffice memo"....
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
a patent of beowulf clusters?
:-P
Murray Hill, NJ -- Today AT&T sued IBM for patent infringement, noting that IBM's patent on web templates is an infringement of AT&T's patent on #include.
#include, found in the C language's preprocessor, was invented in the early 1970's by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie. "The #include directive is really a very innovative invention", said John Law, director of language sales at AT&T. "The technology landscape just wouldn't be the same without it".
Representatives from IBM were unavailable for comment, but were heard muttering something about how they "can't stand it when someone beats us to it".
Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
file a patent on filing patents on obvious software practices for which there exists lots of prior art.
When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.
I wonder if Osama will bother paying any royalties to them.
Table-ized A.I.
#include <stdio.h>
int main (int argc, char** argv) {
char buff[100];
printf ("Please enter in your web text: ");
scanf ("%s", buff);
printf ("Your web page: <HTML><BODY><b>%s</b></BODY></HTML>\n", buff);
}
IBM: "I patent the HTML wizard"
MICROSOFT: "Well I patent HTML"
IBM: "Well I patent the whole internet."
MICROSOFT: "Well I patent all the computers."
IBM: "Well I patent YOU!"
MICROSOFT: "Well I patent you times one thousand"
IBM: "I patent you times one million"
MICROSOFT: "I patent you times infinity. No returnsy, personal jinx, sucks to be you!!!"
*SMACK!*
MICROSOFT: "MOM!... IBM hit me!"
MOM (aka US Supreme Court): "Stop your whining! I thought I told you: 'No more patenting after you stole Java from your baby brother'."
:)
surely this is a good thing though? hike the price up and make people pay every time they use a MS template. the ratio of good/horrific websites will change overnight :)
How about whatever system of "plurality of templates" the USPTO web site was using prior to mid-1998?
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.