Microsoft granted patent for double-click

[SheepyMcSheepster]

Microsoft granted patent for double-click


Microsoft has been granted a patent on the double-click by the US Patents and Trademark Office. The patent, number 6,727,830, was granted on April 27.

An abstract of the application says: "A method and system are provided for extending the functionality of application buttons on a limited resource computing device. Alternative application functions are launched based on the length of time an application button is pressed. A default function for an application is launched if the button is pressed for a short, i.e., normal, period of time.

"An alternative function of the application is launched if the button is pressed for a long, (e.g., at least one second), period of time. Still another function can be launched if the application button is pressed multiple times within a short period of time, e.g., double click."


more....

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/02/1086058889577.html

[Dookus]

1. unbelievable

how can that be? I was double-clicking on Lisa's and Macs years before Microsoft machines even USED mice!

[qwertyMike]

3. Microsoft

Bought off Apple in the bad days, forcing them to drop a lawsuit over the mouse. Now they patent double-click??

[stevedeshazer]

10. Microsoft Patents Ones, Zeroes

REDMOND, WA—In what CEO Bill Gates called "an unfortunate but necessary step to protect our intellectual property from theft and exploitation by competitors," the Microsoft Corporation patented...

That was from "The Onion" in 1998.

[Nevernose]

23. "Bill Gates Grants Self 18 Charisma"

The Onion has never gone easy on the guy. :-)

[parasim]

11. Anybody can get a software patent these days...

... heck, I've got 7 of them myself. (Well, I'm listed as an inventor on them, I didn't file for the patents, companies I did the work for did.) In fact I was desiging software incorporating a tabbed interface long before Adobe received the patent for it.

I think software patents are incredibly anti-competive and have no place in the software industry whatsoever.

My theory is that companies like Microsoft buy up all the patents they can get their hands on and then sit on them and wait until whatever it is that is patented becomes widespread. Then they try to cash in on them by announcing they own 'em and then start threatening to prosecute companies that use them. These companies are then forced to either pay royalities, hire more lawyers to defend themselves or retool, which if they're small enough probably won't survive. All the while Microsoft just continues to grow...

[wtmusic]

16. It works its way into open source software

and bites them on the ass. Who cares.

[htuttle]

14. Xerox Parc used double-clicking even before that

This is a bullshit patent.

[Imperialism Inc.]

21. That should make the patent usless shouldn't it?

Since there is "prior art" MS would have a very hard time if it ever went to court.

[gp]

2. Jan 5 2056, Microsoft granted patent for breathing in proximity of monitor

[ChompySnack]

4. I worked on the Microsoft Mouse driver program in '89

They were still playing major catch up to Macintosh. These patent giveaways on obviously non-patentable things are destroying the competitive landscape and they are useless.

[Speck Tater]

5. Quick, somebodu patent the left-right-left click

before MS does. Otherwise we'll have no other way to click buttons without having to pay royalties to MS.

[Dying Eagle]

6. So how much do i owe Microsoft

Lets see, working on comps since 1988, 1,123,345,097 double clicks at .10 a click, ah fuck them, let them sue me :)

[PfcHammer]

7. From their patent application...

A method and system are provided for extending the functionality of application buttons on a limited resource computing device. Alternative application functions are launched based on the length of time an application button is pressed. A default function for an application is launched if the button is pressed for a short, i.e., normal, period of time. An alternative function of the application is launched if the button is pressed for a long, (e.g., at least one second), period of time. Still another function can be launched if the application button is pressed multiple times within a short period of time, e.g., double click.

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,727,830.WKU.&OS=PN/6,727,830&RS=PN/6,727,830

Applications like these might explain why USPTO is jammed up like it is.

[Kadie]

8. Let me guess, Windows 2005 will have a click counter

and we will be charged for the amount of double clicking we do.

[sendero]

9. The folks running the patent office..

.... should commit seppuku for their abject stupidity. You cannot patent anything that is in widespead use or is "obvious". This patent fails on both counts. It is truly unbelievable.

[treepig]

12. well, they've already patented ones & zeroes

so this is a rather timid step

Microsoft Patents Ones, Zeros

REDMOND, WA-In what CEO Bill Gates called "an unfortunate but necessary step to protect our intellectual property from theft and exploitation by competitors," the Microsoft Corporation patented the numbers one and zero Monday.

With the patent, Microsoft's rivals are prohibited from manufacturing or selling products containing zeroes and ones-the mathematical building blocks of all computer languages and programs-unless a royalty fee of 10 cents per digit used is paid to the software giant.

"Microsoft has been using the binary system of ones and zeroes ever since its inception in 1975," Gates told reporters. "For years, in the interest of the overall health of the computer industry, we permitted the free and unfettered use of our proprietary numeric systems. However, changing marketplace conditions and the increasingly predatory practices of certain competitors now leave us with no choice but to seek compensation for the use of our numerals."

http://home.att.net/~jbcole/humor/Microsoft_patents.htm

[SheepyMcSheepster]

13. i find it absurd.

it is like patenting the wheel. it's silly and completely counter-productive. there is no need for them to patent this.

[NashVegas]

15. *drops jaw*

wow.

[Kellanved]

17. This is why European IT Pros are so upset about Software Patents

It is actually a major point in the European Elections (the current conservative majority would like to create them ASAP, but the Elections come first).

The Conservatives want the American patents.
The Social Democrats want a "milder" form. (well, duh - my party, but I can't agree)
The Neo-Liberals (Libertarians?) want no Patents at all (If only I could believe them - but they are the self-declared party of big business...)
The Greens started out as "no Patents", but have adopted the Social-Democratic line.
The Leftists ...

Actually the Social Democratic position has some points in favor: cheap Patents (€60); free registry lookup; at the moment no software is patentable, even with an identical hardware solution being patentable.

However the implications to Open Source software and small IT companies make me wonder...

[Lisa]

18. they might as well patent Morse Code while they're at it!

Multiple clicks, indeed.

[SideshowScott]

19. 10 "hello" 20 goto 10....thats MY patent! hehe nt

[librechik]

20. so how much do we gotta pay per click?

oh wait, that doesn't start til 2006.

(my crystal ball is dusty)

[J2001]

22. LMAO this is hilarious

This is hilarious.
Just another example of covering all your bases!
Another example of this is when Microsoft offerd Mike Row an X-Box free Educaation in Computing courses and buch of other stuff for his site www.mikerowesoft.com LMAO! he took the offer

[ThoughtCriminal]

24. Why bother inventing?

R & D is expensive and hard work. The real money is in getting a patent on prior art.