.NET Patents - IPM Inc. - 9/8/98

[ipm@en.com]

Copyright(c)1998 IPM Channel.  All rights reserved.

.NET Patents News Issue 98.36.2
Wednesday, September 9, 1998

IPM Inc.
Eric Schneider

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Of the 3,000 or more patents that are issued from the USPTO each week,
there is only so much time to report on a few of them.  In the last few
months on average, there have been anywhere from 6-16 'Internet Patents'
that issue each week.  3 have been chosen for discussion this week. 
Feel free to share your ideas on these or other patents that you may
find of interest.

Please be reminded, that the following information are IPM's initial
impressions of patent documents issued less than 14 hours ago.  Comments
are made based on looking at abstracts only (no claims) and are by no
means a basis for any conclusions.  This report is an attempt to create
awareness towards patents that may have some existing and/or future
impact, relationship, or significance to technology, prior art, and
other pending applications.

The first patents 2 listed, are assigned to IBM.  The last one, assigned
to AT+T.
Take note, the last 2 patents discussed (1 from IBM, the other from
AT+T) are presented in comparison to prior art patents.  In both cases,
there is enough similarity to raise question as to whether there is
truly enough distinctionin scope between the patents in comparison.  It
will still take another day or two, to obtain the claims, and inevitably
the full documents to gain a more concise analysis.

Though it is a legally accepted strategy to write patents that
circumvent prior art, upon comparing the filing dates to the patents in
question, in both cases show a strong probability that the inventions
discussed had been developed in parallel but yet independently.

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The first discusses a system for treating previously visited
hyperlinks.  Take note, of the filing date.  This patent took 5 1/2
years to issue.  Could this be a core or fundamental patent that was
considered novel when written?

5806077 HYPERTEXT DISPLAY SYSTEM
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
Date Issued: 09/08/98
Date Filed: 01/15/93
Class: 707/501

Abstract: A hypertext display system is described in which displayed
hypertext links contain a marker indicating whether or not the unit of
information to which the link leads has previously been visited by the
user, the system being characterized in that the user can cause the
display of further information regarding previous visits to that unit of
information via a predetermined user input operation at a time when a
display cursor is located within the boundaries of the marker. Active
markers or footprints are employed associated with links leading to
nodes the user has already visited. In one implementation using a
graphical user interface, these markers are icons for timestamp windows.
The user can activate the markers in order to decide whether or not to
revisit the node.

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The 2nd IBM patent does not demonstrate a clear novelty when compared to
Wellner's patent assigned to Lucent listed below.  Wellner's ideas are
no doubt visionary upon reading his invention.  Also note that it was
filed in Aug. '94, almost 2 years before IBM filed.

5804803 MECHANISM FOR RETRIEVING INFORMATION USING DATA ENCODED ON AN
OBJECT
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
Date Issued: 09/08/98
Date Filed: 04/02/96
Class: 235/375
Abstract: A client computer with a scanner capable of scanning objects
for a code. The client computer scans the object of interest and
translates the code into a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that specifies
both a server computer and the location within the server of information
that is relevant to the object. The client computer transmits the URL to
the server computer, receives the information related to the object from
the server computer, and communicates the information to the customer.


http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=5640193
5640193 Multimedia service access by reading marks on an object 
INVENTORS: Wellner; Pierre David, Middletown, NJ
ASSIGNEES: Lucent Technologies Inc., Murray Hill, NJ
ISSUED:    June 17, 1997
FILED:     Aug. 15, 1994
ABSTRACT:  An apparatus and method enables a user to control the
selection of electronic multimedia services to be provided to the user
by one or more servers over a communication medium. The apparatus
includes a scanner for reading marks on an object and for communicating
a request signal, having an object code representing the read marks, to
a user interface. The interface receives the request signal and
transmits to the servers a request command including an interface
identification code and the object code which is used to select the
desired electronic multimedia service. The servers identify the selected
electronic multimedia service using the object code. The interface then
enables the selected electronic multimedia service transmitted from the
servers to be received by the user's receiver.

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Likewise, AT+T's patent (on the surface) does not demonstrate a clear
novelty when compared to Judson's patent filed Pro Se which is listed
below.  It is interesting to see that these 2 patents were filed 2
months apart, serving as a reminder of how closely intertwined and
critical the race for protecting new technology has become.
 
http://www.patents.ibm.com/details?patent_number=5572643
Web browser with dynamic display of information objects during linking 
INVENTORS: Judson; David H., Dallas, TX 75230
ASSIGNEES: none 
ISSUED:    Nov. 5 , 1996
FILED:     Oct. 19, 1995
ABSTRACT:  A method of browsing the Worldwide Web of the Internet using
an HTML-compliant client supporting a
graphical user interface and a browser. The method begins as a web page
is being displayed on the graphical user interface, the web page having
at least one link to a hypertext document preferably located at a remote
server. In response to the user clicking on the link, the link is
activated by the browser to thereby request downloading of the hypertext
document from the remote server to the graphical user interface of the
client. While the client waits for a reply and/or as the hypertext
document is being downloaded, the browser displays one or more different
types of informational messages to the user. Such messages include, for
example, advertisements, notices, messages, copyright information and
the like. 


5805815 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING INTERIM DATA DISPLAYS WHILE
AWAITING OF RETRIEVAL LINKED INFORMATION
Assignee: AT&T Corp.
Date Issued: 09/08/98
Date Filed: 12/18/95
Class: 395/200.48

Abstract: In the context of global hypertext, a new solution to the
human interface problem of waiting for the content of a next page to
arrive and be displayed by a WWW browser. Small amounts of relevant
content are stored and maintained in the hyperlinks themselves. This
extra content is revealed to users during download wait time. Hypertext
links that contain and reveal extra content are called content laden
links. By displaying content which is useful and relevant to the user
while the next WWW page is being fetched, useless dead time can be
turned into productive time and the satisfaction level of the user
increased. 
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