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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. Schrodenger's cueCat by Majik+Sheff · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, the cueCat was in a box (the patent office) and its state was unknown for years until someone finally opened the box and looked at it? I can only assume the cueCat was dead, but that assumption probably changed the outcome.

    First again?

    --
    Women are like electronics: you don't know how damaged they are until you try to turn them on.
    1. Re:Schrodenger's cueCat by hansamurai · · Score: 4, Funny

      First again?

      You assumed you were first, and by doing that, you changed the outcome.

      --
      Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
  2. Brilliant!! by TheDarkener · · Score: 4, Funny

    A barcode scanner at every normal person's PC that "allows" them to view advertisements on products they've already purchased? Count me in!

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
    1. 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. Crap patent by russotto · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Clearly, this one got approved via the Patent Office's rule that "If you can't decipher the run-on sentence, approve the patent".

    Yeah, I know the patent rules pretty much require run on sentences, but Claim 1 here is ridiculous even given that.

    Best I can tell, Claim 1 covers doing a lookup of a code at a remote site and receiving something like a URL back, then following that URL. The code has to have been received before the user connected to the network.

    That is, if I set up a server which returns a redirect for "8972" of http://www.cat.example.com/ and "1513" to http://www.dog.example.com/ and I send you (via US mail) "8972", which you then enter at my site and get redirected to the cat site, the patented method has been used.

  4. A day late and $40 Million Dollars Short by timpintsch · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does anyone know if I can still pick these up for free at Radio Shack? I remember having a stack of them but my Grandma threw them away because she thought they were pens that were defective. No, really, she did.

  5. I didn't get one by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 5, Funny

    The plastic bag that my copy of Wired came in had a big hole in it when it got to my house. The CueCat was either stolen or it fell out.

    /not really disappointed

    --

    Technoli
    1. Re:I didn't get one by Stele · · Score: 4, Funny

      Perhaps it became self-aware and clawed its way out. Did you ever think of that?

  6. Re:I used one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    What happens when your Access DB is what needs to be recovered from the backup tapes? What then?

  7. i still have mine by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Funny

    it looks like a sex toy

    all its good for anymore

    i guess

    i said i guess!

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  8. 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.
  9. Re:Maybe I should take advantage of the situation. by netglen · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh no! Are you saying that the book that I read "Writing Dummy Books for Dummies" was inaccurate on how much money I can make?