Microsoft Receives Patent For Double-Click

kaluta writes "The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that Microsoft was granted a patent for double-clicking on April 27. The patent in question is 6,727,830 and says, amongst other stuff: 'A default function for an application is launched if the button is pressed for a short, i.e., normal, period of time. An alternative function of the application is launched if the button is pressed for a long, (e.g., at least one second), period of time. Still another function can be launched if the application button is pressed multiple times within a short period of time, e.g., double click'. So this is what we have to look foward to in the E.U. now?"

Comments

Prior art

[quigonn]

Prior art is well-documented, e.g. in http://www.cs.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/rob/movies/b lit.mpg

The video shows a mouse cursor clicking, then dragging up a terminal emulation program, and then clicking again, for setting the terminal's size. So, we have prior art from 1983, and it's extremely well documented.