Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

USPTO Rejects SBC Browser Patent

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the seen-coming dept.

theodp writes "Remember that dicey 1996 SBC Structured Document Browser patent that Slashdot readers immediately called BS on back in 2003? Two-and-a-half years later, a USPTO Director-ordered reexam reached the same conclusion, and a final rejection was quietly issued last month."

3 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Read before posting by anonympa · · Score: 5, Informative

    I have bad news for you all. A final rejection just means that the claims have been rejected for the second time. It's not over yet...!

  2. And here's the link.. by ThyPiGuy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Method to improve peri-anal hygiene after a bowel movement:

    http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm &r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6520942.WKU.&OS=PN/6520942&RS=PN/ 6520942

  3. SBC patent invalidated by... Micro$oft !! by indaba · · Score: 4, Informative
    sorry to ruin the party, but this SBC patent was basically invalidated by invoking the prior art of another patent , assigned to Micro$oft, applied for in 1995.

    United States Patent 5,877,765 ; Dickman , et al. March 2, 1999
    http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm &r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5,877,765.WKU.&OS=PN/5,877,765&RS =PN/5,877,765

    which has the catchy title Method and system for displaying internet shortcut icons on the desktop
    and yes, from a quick look, it's every bit as obvious as it sounds.

    Now, I assume Apple and Sun have taken out licences (or swapped some other IP) for the right to use this patent, but how about :

    - KDE ?
    - Gnome ?
    - you ? - yes, YOU the /.'er right there running distro "X" with icons on your desktop pointing to URL's in VLAGRANT violation of :

    2. The method of claim 1 wherein the display of the visual representation of the shortcut object on the virtual desktop includes a graphic for identifying the shortcut object as a shortcut to the resource.

    Does anyone else despair of this patent madness, where this rather obvious extension i.e icons pointing to an INTERNET resource is considered patentable, as it's such a VAST improvement (yeah right) over the basic icon to LOCAL resource ?

    eg, the Apple Mac in 1984, 1983 Lisa, even earlier Xerox Star etc etc...all had icons - right ?