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CueCat Patent Granted, Finally

Posted by timothy on from the you-lose-even-if-you-win dept.

RobertB-DC writes "Who could forget the :CueCat, the amazing device that would bring 'convergence' between the real world and the online marketing Utopia of the late '90s? Belo, the Dallas-based newspaper and TV conglomerate, spent millions of dollars on the project, only to be ridiculed from the start and eventually becoming a sort of poster kitty for the Dot-Com Bust. Well, the device's inventor and chief cheerleader, J. Jovan Philyaw, didn't forget. His patent application, in progress since 1998, has finally been granted. The story comes from a Dallas alternative weekly, since the local Belo paper is still smarting from its $40-million-dollar black eye."

12 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. I used one by afidel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I declawed one with the software patch that stripped the 'encryption' to use it as a normal barcode scanner. It was great for a little inventory problem I had at work. I made an Access DB that kept track of LTO tapes by scanning a label on each box and tape. That way when I had to do a restore from tapes on hand all I had to do was pull up its label in the DB and it gave me the box and row number.

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    1. Re:I used one by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I declawed 20 of them one by soldering a jumper that disabled the encryption at the unit. Most of them were easily hacked this way. I've got several still in use as Point of Sale barcode readers at a couple of customers.

      In fact I still have about 5 of them in their poly bags in the basement. I had more but fittingly, my cat peed on them.

      I cleaned out 5 radioshacks when they were trying to get people to take them.... please take them!

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:I used one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Once unlocked we found these a neat little device for amateur development. Although none of us had a working knowledge of databases at the time, we did manage to cobble up solutions for "inventory" management using Visual Basic.

      These may not have been practical applications, but they got us interested in databases/transactional development, with a focus on UI. The limitations of Visual Basic and Access lead us to discover Visual C++/MSSQL, and ultimately g++/mysql as a free alternative (the primary benefit to us being free as in beer, but it was also an introduction into "real" software freedom).

      Obviously the :CueCat was not the only influence that lead us down the path of software development, but the availability of an easy to to integrate and free piece of hardware played a huge role.

      Did any of you have similar experiences with the :CueCat or other hackable/programmable hardware as a child?

  2. Re:Brilliant!! by Rycross · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The idea would be that you could scan a barcode on an advertisements or articles to get more information on a product. The problem is that you need a special piece of hardware to do what a URL written down on the page could do.

    The basic idea isn't without merit, however. In Japan, they use barcode-like codes to encode extra information with advertisements. You could see a product that interests you, use your cell phone camera to take a picture of the code, and then have your phone load up the web site based on the code. The difference here is its more convenient instead of less.

  3. An Idea with Potential by GospelHead821 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I understand why and how this idea failed, but I think that it had such a great deal of potential. Not for flashy things like electronics, but for mundane things like office supplies. Rather than digging around Corporate Express's web site or typing in a list of part numbers, how much easier would it be just to use the CueCat on a barcode printed in the catalog? I was kind of disappointed that the worthwhile, vaguely interesting applications for this technology never materialized.

    --
    Virtue finds and chooses the mean.
    Aristotle, Ethica Nichomachea
  4. I was actually one of the first to hack it by rAiNsT0rm · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Geez I guess it has been that long. I was one of the first to figure out that it sent a coded mix of letters and numbers with the scanned barcode inside so that it could be hacked to function as a proper barcode scanner. I also was one of the first to get a certified cease and desist letter and a followup call by one of their attorneys.

    I still have a bunch of both the serial and USB versions wrapped and new... however now they would actually have proper legal grounds to prosecute so I won't be redistributing my code online again :)

    Never thought I'd see :CueCat come up again on the 'ole Internets.

    --
    http://teasphere.wordpress.com - A little spot of tea
  5. More useful than you might think... by HiVizDiver · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A bit offtopic, but with the aforementioned "hack" to enable it as a more generic device, a friend of mine uses it to catalog his book, CD, and DVD collection. He has a whole spreadsheet for his books that tells him how many pages, how long it took to read, his overall "review" (couple of sentences) of the book, etc.

    A bit anal retentive? Yes, but I could see it being useful for making a record of just about any "collection" you had that already had barcodes on it.

  6. I smell a lawsuit! by Teilo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hmm. This is the same thing the CompareEverywhere app for Android (G1) does.

    http://compare-everywhere.com/

    Is the patent broad enough to ace these guys out?

    --
    Mir tut es leid, Menschen daß Einfältigfehlersuchenbaumfolgendenaffen sind.
  7. Bringing Back Memories by Whafro · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I remember being the first to publish the basic decoder for the CueCat... got a nice little writeup in Wired, which led to a nice little writeup from a Kenyon & Kenyon lawyer in the form of a C&D.

    Highlight of my sophomore year in HS: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=7222&cid=835493

    Their patent claim is interesting -- launch a web browser when an item is scanned. Sounds like it shouldn't meet the non-trivial requirement to me, but I'm not in IP law anymore...

  8. Re:Brilliant!! by earthloop · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Erm:
    http://2d-code.co.uk/qr-code-on-iphone/
    http://www.imatrix.lt/default.aspx?page=start

  9. Classic Submarine Patent by laughingskeptic · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It takes effort and attorney's fees to keep a patent idling for ten years. This is a classic tactic of ne'er do well patent attorneys used to keep 'before their time' ideas in the patent process until they can be used to make money. This has become a patent after 10 years for one of two reasons: 1) They think there is a big fish to extort/sue now 2) They are tired of paying attorneys

  10. Useful for LibraryThing, actually by Selanit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You can use a Cue Cat for zapping books into LibraryThing, the social book-cataloging site. It's a lot faster than adding everything manually, and it works even if encryption hasn't been disabled.

    I bought a USB model for a whopping 10 USD. Then I declawed it by severing the fifth leg from the left on the bottom of the microchip, using a pair of fingernail trimmers (full declawing instructions (pdf), scroll down to page 5). It works nicely in Windows and Linux, no drivers, and I can zap pretty much any barcode and get the actual text read out. It's surprising how often you can zap a barcode into Google and get highly relevant search results.

    So, basically, the company's business model may have been crap, but as a cheap barcode scanner their hardware ain't bad. Aside from the dumb encryption part, and the cat shape is silly.