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Amazon Seeks '2-Click' Shopping Cart Patent
theodp writes "Looks like Amazon's really getting back in the patent game. Today, the USPTO published Amazon's patent application for conducting electronic commerce using multiple shopping carts. Using the invention, a shopper purchasing items for five relatives can set up one shopping cart for each relative, a shopper purchasing books for Johnny can name one of his shopping carts "Johnny's books", and a shopper can add items to multiple shopping carts with only two mouse clicks." This might also be a good time to point out to those who didn't see it the first time AOL's patent claims regarding "Instant Message" technology; you may be able to think of some prior art.
AOL Patents "0-click" spam reception technique.
We at AOL want you to not have to do *anything* to receive spam.
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
Here is a slightly modified text of an email I sent to the author of the news.com article on AOL's patent on IM.
FYI, with regards to this article, I don't know how strong this patent is because of existing prior art. If you look at this article in MIT's Technology Review, you will see that a form of IM called zephyr with buddy lists as well as chat-room style broadcasts existed since 1988. It would be great if you could also post this information in a future update to let everyone know.
Zephyr exists till today (and we here at Carnegie Mellon as well as students at MIT) use it on a daily basis. Even emacs supports zephyr
Okay, I have had enough, I am going to patent the "one finger response" to the ignorance lawyers can invent, only to be eclipsed by the ignorance government can dispense.
Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
And I shall file a patent on:
... click patents!
"A method, given an N-click shopping method, to convert it into an N+1 click shopping method."
Thus, I shall be able to stymie Amazon's 3, 4, 5
MWHAHAHAHAH!
www.eFax.com are spammers
But there needs to be some sort of punitive damages assesed against ridiculous patents. Make it a civil tort to file unenforcable patents: overly broad, prior art, or obvious.
The burden of searching for prior art should be on the applicant. We wouldn't simply take their word for it, but hold them accountable. If the prior art was easy enough to find, make it a punitive civil matter. And this is a perfect place for a jury, since John Q. Basementinventor has a little less resources to investigate prior art than someone like Amazon.
Obviously this is fraught with more problems than the actual USPTO, but the idea is there. Somthing (like money, or the fear of losing it) to keep people from filing all these frivilous patents.
29. A computer system for conducting electronic commerce, comprising: a data component for storing information relating to a plurality of electronic commerce contexts for a user, the information relating to electronic commerce conducted while in that electronic commerce context; a component that receives from the user a selection of one of the plurality of electronic commerce contexts; and a component that, after receiving the selection of the one of the plurality of electronic commerce contexts, conducts electronic commerce with the user and stores information relating to the conducted electronic commerce in association with the selected electronic commerce context.
They are obviously trying to confuse a non-technical reader (like, say, someone in the patent office). All these words to say that you get to click on one of your shopping carts to check-out.
They can't even say "shopping cart". It's the all important, and brand new, "electronic commerce context." Ooooo.
...for your spouse, your kids and your dog.
Multiple carts lets Amazon refine its recommendations engine. Before, if you bought something as a gift, it drove your recommendations, even if it wasn't something you personally would want. Now, Amazon can generate recommendations for other people based on what you buy them or even add to their cart.
Amazon: At this very moment, we have teams of lawyers working on patenting our one click buying technology.
*silence*
Would you believe two click buying?
*silence*
Would you believe five clicks and and clack?
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Amazon is playing smart, I think.
Not too terribly long ago I read about some guy that is a patent lawyer that is going around patenting processes that the actual inventors have not bothered to file patents on, and then demanding license and royalty fees. eBay is one of his targets, and he patented their process of concluding auctions in the manner that eBay was doing. (Anybody got a link for that?) Now he's trying to extort from eBay, based on this after-the-fact patent.
If Amazon does not patent this idea, they're likely to have the same kind of crap done to them. No, I don't think they should have to patent their process like that, but if it keeps them from getting sued, they're being smart, not greedy.
Will they sue others using one-click purchasing? Dunno. That's a different issue.
Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!
You know leaning to one side with one leg up on the ottoman.
As a prelude to the 'one cheek sneak'.