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You Might Be a Microsoft Patent Infringer
theodp writes "Do you use drop-down menus, alphanumerical input boxes, check boxes, radio buttons or sliders to allow client side-processing of data? Utilize SQL, HTML, ActiveX, Java, Perl, JavaScript or JScript to do so? Employ arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, or decision trees to organize things? Well Bunky, you might be infringing on Microsoft's new patent for Dynamically adjusting data values and enforcing valid combinations of the data in response to remote user input, which the USPTO granted Tuesday after 6+ years and two rejections."
"Microsoft Patents 1, 0"
will be hard to prove on this one. Good grief. What is next, a patent on oxygen?
"All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power." - Ashleigh Brilliant
That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. They might as well try patenting the advanced, new technology called "thought"... that way they don't have to file a patent for anything new in the future when they want to take control over any new ideas. Next thing we know, they will be trying to take credit for writing Romeo and Juliet and say that it's been embedded in the Windows source since before Shakespeare was born.
And look at this quote from the abstract: As such, the user can dynamically adjust the set of results and sub-items from a remote location. The system and method of the present invention preferably utilizes client-side processing to achieve real time interaction.
How can it be from a remote location if it is happening on the client-side? That would seem very local to me. But what do I know?
What is claimed is:
1. A method for dynamically displaying pricing data on a client display device...
Note that that's a 1, meaning that's the patent request at its broadest. Once you get past the abstract, according to claim 1 there is required to be client-server communication, a price list, and rules for combining them.
This patent would likely apply to a typical linux distro installation package manager (handling dependencies etc) that was (a) run online, (b) charged prices, and (c) did dependency checking on the form itself before submission.
Hell, I doubt that even Linspire's Click'n'Run violates it...
If MS decided to send me, or anyone of millions of small companies, a letter saying "pay us 10,000 in royalties or we will sue you for 10 million in damages", guess what? I can't afford the patent attorney for the 8+ months of litigation, and I sure as hell can't afford the 10 million.
The sad thing is that I should even need a patent attorney in this case - it should be so cut and deied that you could represent yourself! But alas, that is rarely so.
Still a crappy thing to patent, I totally agree, but hardly every damned control widget in every damned language in the known fucking universe as the author hints at.
FUD sucks, no matter who spews it.
Hey, maybe this means that MS can stop Slashdot from keeping track of how many mod-points I have.
After all, Slashdot "[d]ynamically adjust[s] data values and enforc[es] valid combinations of the data in response to remote user input."
which the USPTO granted Tuesday after 6+ years and two rejections
They've successfully reduced Patent Examiner incompetence to 1 out of 3
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
Digital Equipment Corporation (the remains of which are now part of HP) had an online customer ordering system in the early 1990s that did everything described in claim 1 of the patent. I'm pretty sure there were other systems in operation more than a year before the patent filing that did this as well.
Employ arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, or decision trees to organize things?
Finally some gain for not learning anything at school.
Everyone loses I gain.
Back in the mid-80's, I wrote a program in PROLOG. Rule sets for a character based "GUI" entry screen components were sent, based on the current task to be performed. Data validation, control layout and control enabling was done by executing the PROLOG predicates.
Simple idea... worked well (we only had 2400 baud modems, 9600 baud was the upper end; sending only entry rules and the PROLOG was a reasonable choice).
Took a 512K machine (at the time, a very big micro).
This was *never* used for "pricing" -- it was used to specify typographic instruction (a slightly more advanced task, IMNSHO).
Obviously, can be used for "pricing", "estimating", &etc. (estimating would have been the next logical use).
Still stands as my only commercial PROLOG program.
And the wheel goes around...
I would think that there are other examples -- the IBM 3270 field control protocol is almost there (and I bet that it has been extended to cover this use as well). Other interesting conflicts are with Smalltalk/Squeak, and even the TCL/TK toolkit.
So I don't think that Microsoft will dare enforce this one.
Ratboy.
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
Just so you know. It's not a matter of maybe.
That's "Mr. Soulless Automaton" to you, Bub.
1."Do you use drop-down menus, alphanumerical input boxes, check boxes, radio buttons or sliders to allow client side-processing of data?" Yes, but thats not what the patent covers. It involves the use of these things, but is not a patent on them or for them.
2."Utilize SQL, HTML, ActiveX, Java, Perl, JavaScript or JScript to do so" As above, none of these are being patented by microsoft
3."Employ arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, or decision trees to organize things" Again this is not what is being patented here.
4."Microsoft's new patent for Dynamically adjusting data values and enforcing valid combinations of the data in response to remote user input Oooh, so close, but you missed again.
The patent refers to items 1, 2 and 3, imlicitly or explicitly in their patent as things that are used to achieve the 'invention' they have 'created'
However number 4 is the opposite. They dont adjust data values and enforce valid combinations "in response" to remote user input. They use a process that causes the remote user to apply the rules themselves in an effort to decrease the load on the server to improve the speed of access to the page.
Also, although items 1, 2 and 3 are implicitly or explicitly mentioned in the patent, the use of them is only restricted by this patent if you do the following:
-Use them in such a way that the infrastructure of rules and options you are interacting with is WHOLLY RUN on the client side.
-Use them in a system that is used in relation to pricing for one or more items.
-Returns the result to the server After the client has validated it.
This is my interpretation of the patent after reading it. I assume that someone will soon read it even more carefully than I and debunk what I have said, but it would be nice to see the people posting articles read what they are posting about.
Dont get me wrong, its still too broad and overreaching, but its not as broad as it has been made out to be
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this does not constitute legal advice. Nor will I accept responsibility if you are caught infringing on this patent after reading what I have typed here.
MS's 5 steps plan, (c) 1984 by Bill Gates:
1- If you can't patent oxygen, patent its use. If you can't patent its use, patent its use at a remote location - deny any prior art.
2- Get a restraining order for astronauts on Mars not to use oxygen in remote locations without being owned by MS first; the patent will be invalidated in less than 5 minutes. If the astronauts manage to survive, patent their heating system for the next 5 minutes after that. If that doesn't work, patent Mars rock analysis to make the whole mission is pointless.
3- Take over Mars. Rename it Microsoft RedPlanet (tm). Make sure MS manuals and college books don't mention the existence of alternatives, such as other planets. Use 18 front organisation to deny the existence of other planets.
4- Claim innovation, good faith, and take over a niche market unethically as punishment if caught taking over a niche market illegally.
5- Repeat until monopoly on everyone else's innovations!
I refuse to be modded funny. That's truly how MS operates!!
Microsoft is pure dog-ma. FreeBSD is pure cat-ma.